Mass Euphony
by TheKaiSenpai
Summary: Delusions? Dreams? Dimensional Travel? No, perhaps none of them. Perhaps all of them. Well, I guess I'm stuck here, regardless. I might as well do what I can to kick ass and take names as part of Shepard's crew! Oh crap, did I already screw up and let them know I'm not from here? Self-insert. OC/Shepard
1. Prologue

_Yes, yes, I know I already have several other series that need working on, but this one really piqued my interest. Especially since I've been killing time with Mass Effect 2 recently and I've grown to love it. Anyways, the standard stuff applies here. I don't own Mass Effect nor any other things that may appear here. Now, without further ado, Mass Euphony._

A/N: This isn'ta new chapter. I just fixed the height of Kai.

 ** _Step One: Prologue_**

Silence. Well, near silence. That's all the surrounds me as I jot my notes and ideas onto paper. A space opera. Betrayal. Love. War. Then finally, acceptance and death. It isn't exactly your greatest idea of a story, but it holds a certain charm that I can't quite place. It's not a happy ending, I can tell you that much. There will be loss, and sorrow, and pain. But in the end, the good prevails and the evil falls. Though not without consequences. My idea of the perfect story. Realistic, but hopeful. Gritty, but full of snark and humor. A tragic end, but one that denotes the possibility of a grand future.

I set down my pen beside me, humming as I gaze over my work. I've been a writer for all of thirteen years, since I was about ten. While my works have never hit the desk of any publisher or official editor, I like to think that I'm more than just an amateur in my field. That is to say, when I'm not working. Today is my only day off, and it's only my planning period for this work. I'm terrible when it comes to finishing projects; something that I attribute to my ADHD. I find it hard to just sit down in one place and focus, or to finish projects I've already started. In fact, most of my work goes unfinished, left to the imaginations of both my readers, and myself. I call it artistic. My friends call it a pain in the ass. My "editor" calls it lazy. Maybe it's all three.

Regardless, I take the time to stand up from my rolling chair and stretch. It's only noon, and I find myself a bit hungry. I live in an apartment in southwest Florida, shared with my unofficial editor and his boyfriend. We split the cost into three ways, and we make do. It isn't a luxurious life, but neither is it particularly bad. We each work full time jobs; two in my case, and we enjoy the benefits of life as they come. My roommates are nice people, as well. They don't go out of their way to shove their relationship in my face, since I am but a humble single sack. In fact, we all get along quite well. They're also my business partners in a card game I created to help children learn multiplication. It hasn't quite taken off, yet, but it's doing well.

After stretching, I sit down once more over my notebook. I should finish this. At least get the prologue done. After all, I need to start somewhere, right? I grab my smartphone from beside me and turn on some smooth jazz. This type of music always helps me think. The rhythms of the drums and the sweet caresses of the saxophone fill my ears, taking me away to the world I've created. I grumble, feeling a bit lightheaded. I should have gotten some food; or at least a drink. Still, I want to write these last few paragraphs. A man trapped in a dream, never to return home. Yeah, that sounds like a good place to start. In fact, just writing this is making me sleepy. I've never been a morning person. Maybe… a few winks wouldn't hurt. Not at all… I feel my head press against the cool, marble table underneath me. The sound of jazz fills my ears, and I feel myself relax.

I find myself thinking about… myself, for some reason. It's a strange sensation; I just feel compelled to think about myself. Still, I give in and do so. I'm not particularly strong, is the first thing that comes to mind. I've always been better in the mental battlefield than actual fighting. A tactician with few equals among my peers, and a man who can improvise in nearly any situation. I attack from the shadows, and get in and out before anybody notices I'm there. I guess I'd be best suited as a spy, or an infiltrator in the military. I feel myself frown. Why would I think about that? That's just odd. The feeling of self-reflection continues, however. While I'm a bit more hesitant to let it keep going, I allow myself to go on.

I've always wondered in what situation I'd find myself in the military. Would I be the brutally honest, no nonsense type of soldier? Would I be the kind of survivor who relies on nobody but himself? Or maybe the kind of soldier who follows orders to the letter, ensuring that the mission is completed with the least amount of casualties? That's… a very odd train of thought to have. It's been several years since I was last interested in the military; so why now? Why ask these questions when I'm already content with my living style? I feel the urge to just answer the questions, but I refuse. Something is going on, and I refuse to answer any more of these reflections until I know exactly what.

The urge becomes stronger, but I won't give in. Now I _know_ something is going on. In fact, why did I fall asleep in the first place? What on Earth convinced me that I need to fall asleep right then, when I was perfectly fine not ten minutes earlier? I refuse to give in! Whatever is going on, you won't have your way with me! I'm not just some pawn to be controlled! I'm ********* "Kai" ********, and I'm _nobody's_ toy! The urge disappears. Instead, I can feel a vague sense of… disappointment? Awe? Maybe a little bit of surprise? Either way, I feel like I can breathe again. Whatever pressure was there before has been lifted. I feel a sense of warmth, despite the chill around me. A sense of warning. Something is about to happen. Something is going to go wrong. Am I being warned? Then finally… alertness. My eyes fly open, and I realize that the sound of jazz from my phone has disappeared. I'm in a cold, empty, grey corridor. I'm alone. I grumble and slowly stand up, having been laying on my face. I take a moment to look around. There are a few neon red signs that I assume would be exits to this corridor, but nothing else. I pause a moment.

"Where the fuck am I!?" I shout out loud.

The corridors go on for what seems to be forever. Every so often there's a glass wall, and I can see other people on the opposite side of them. When I knock on the glass, I can tell that they can hear me; they even look at me, but then they give me a strange look and move on from their business. This has to be a dream. I fell asleep at my table, so I must be dreaming. But there's one thing that makes me stop and disagree with that theory. I don't dream. I haven't dreamt since I was in middle school, and even those were blurry and unclear. It was nothing like this, where I can feel everything around me. Not a dream? No, that can't be. A vision, perhaps? No, no, not possible. Visions don't take place for hours on end, and I have no history with them. A delusion? I'm crazy, but more like the adorably charming type of crazy, not mentally _loco_ crazy. Dimensional travel? I pause, but then shake my head. That… is science fiction. Not at all possible under normal rules. Then again, since when have I ever followed normal procedures? I shake my head once more as I walk down a light blue hall. No, it's simply impossible.

It isn't long until I open a door at the end of the hall, and find a room of people. My eyes widen. Finally, human contact! And yet… I feel weary around these people. Apprehensive. Something about them doesn't sit right with me. They're dressed in strange clothes, and not all of them look human. In fact, I'm fairly certain that a few of them aren't human. I seem to be facing a bar of some sort, and the woman behind the counter is blue. Instead of hair, she has some sort of tentacles amassing behind her head. They're short, though, and have a sort of elegant curvature to them. I move slowly, looking around with no doubt a curious expression as I wander the hall. I make out a sign that looks like a twisty, bendy, orange thing. It looks almost like a holograph; all flickery and not quite solid. Underneath the sign are writings in what look like different languages, if the vastly different characters are anything to go by. Finally, I find one in English. "To Lower Wards". Lower Wards? That… sounds familiar, actually. But from where? I've decided that this place is too massive to be some elaborate prank, and that blue lass doesn't look like a costume of some sort. No amount of makeup can make someone that… elegant looking.

As I make my way to the sign through the crowd of people, I'm met by three elevators. There's a small group of people waiting for the next elevator to the Lower Wards, it seems. I run through my options as I look up at a tall creature. It seems to have rough skin, and mandibles beside its mouth. I keep my gazes quick and short, avoiding it identifying my speculations of it. As the next elevator comes up, I step inside with the rest of the crowd. It's a bit of a squeeze, but I manage. It almost seems like the elevator doesn't move as I stand in the middle, even as the doors close. I can, however, feel a slight humming and rumble as the device moves. The creatures around me are speaking, but in all sorts of different languages. It's almost like working at Disney again, hearing all these different languages in the same room. I can pick out a few phrases in English, though.

"-hear about what happened with Shepard?" I manage to glean. There's a response in another language, but the woman picks it up somehow and responds again. "It's a shame, too. She's a human war hero, but to be shut down so hard by the Council? I guess even she can't win them all." Shepard, huh? Sounds like an interesting person, if the war hero bit is anything to go by. I could use another human that could help me out here.

I've since determined that I'm no longer in Kansas, so to speak. Any attempt to make calls on my phone is shut down since I have absolutely zero bars, and I can't even connect to the internet. Apparently, there are no Wi-Fi spots. I've also determined that something happened to shove me into this predicament. While it could still be a dream, I'm holding off all judgements until I know just what is going on. As soon as the elevator doors open, I move to the side; avoiding the incoming wave of people. I hum and hear a door open behind me. Automatic? Quickly taking my chance, I slip inside.

The halls here are cloaked in darkness, and only lit slightly with long, red lights near the ceiling as well as a few pockets of white light in small indents on the walls. I hum as I walk through this area. A back route, perhaps? An alleyway, in relation to the rest of this massive structure. Maybe even a shipping dock? Either way, it gets me out of the crowds and I can make my observations in secret. As I walk, I find myself crossing paths with a quadrupedal creature with a stocky body, skinny arms, and a long neck like a snake. It regards me with blank, black eyes before moving on. I blink, watching it pass by me before I continue my walk. It's quiet back here, and I can feel my paranoia kicking in. Something could happen back here. Something bad. I close my eyes before taking a few deep breaths. Breath, Kai. You're alone back here.

"-the Shadow Broker? Where's Fist?" I hear what sounds like a synthesized voice ask from ahead. It sounds female, and slightly desperate at that. I blink and creep my way forward, looking over a darkened edge where there's a staircase. There's a woman in a burka in front of me, facing away from my position. She seems tense. The creature in front of her is like the one on the elevator, but has what looks like skull war paint on his face. His armor is too dark to make out in this light, and he actually looks pretty intimidating. At only a measly one hundred and sixty-two centimeters in height, I'm pretty small. I don't have the strength most taller people have, and this guy is tall as fuck. Probably around seventy-two centimeters. Still, he's making some really intimate moves towards this woman, and she doesn't seem happy about it. This isn't good.

My eyes dart around, looking for other details. "He'll be here. Where's the evidence?" The creature speaks in English, surprising me. It doesn't quite match up to his mouth's movements. A translator, perhaps? I see two creatures behind the man in light armor, both holding weapons. The creature himself looks like he's packing some firearms as well. I only have some small experience with firearms, but it looks like I'm going to be expanding on that pretty soon. There are several crates in the indent on the wall. Perfect cover. This hall is also dark enough for me to move around freely. I always wear dark clothing, and the stuff I wore when I fell asleep is no exception. More details, more details. Mandibles, possible weak point. Rip them off, add pressure? Small firearm on the woman. Experienced. Knows how to defend herself, though may require cover. Two creatures seem cocky; set their weapons down on the crate. Can grab both. Plan.

"No way. The deal's off," the woman smacks the creature's hand away. After that, hell breaks loose. I grin. It's been a long time, violence, my old friend. Excitement. Blood pumping. Instinctive tendencies. Let's go.

 **Tali's POV**

I can feel my heart pumping as two Salarians come from around the corner, fully armored and holding pistols. I move quickly, grabbing a proximity mine from my belt and throwing it at them. I make a break for cover as the shock appears on the Turian's face. He wasn't expecting me to try and fight him? That will be his mistake. I breathe heavily as I slam myself behind one of the crates lining the alley, pulling out my own Striker I pistol and activating it. I take a deep breath, momentarily closing my eyes. I lightly curse under my breath before I force myself to stay calm. Alright, all I have to do is survive this encounter and I-

"Yo!" I hear a voice echo through the alley. I blink and look towards the source, surprised. I hear two shots. "Pick on someone your own size, eh?" I allow myself to peer over my cover, where a human wearing strange clothing has the two Salarians' pistols. He… he's just shot them? The Turian, my supposed contact, seems just as surprised as myself. He soon growls and gets behind cover in the cove in the wall. The human glances at me and nods as he rushes the Turian. I raise my hand, as if trying to reach him.

"Wait!" I try to warn him. Oh no, I just dragged a random human into my problem! He doesn't look like he knows how to fight. He's just running right in! It doesn't even look like he has shields! One shot and he'll die! I decide to try and help him however I can. He may be a stranger, but he's risking his life to help me. I can only return the favor. I quickly aim for the Turian's cover, firing my pistol in order to keep him from popping his head out. At the very least, I can give the human time to get in close. Surely, he has a plan, right?

I find myself in the wrong as the human rolls past the cove, quickly spinning to take potshots at the Turian. His armor negates a lot of the damage from the mass accelerators, but he's using both of his weapons to fire off slugs at the large target. The Turian is too shocked at this to react quickly, and I notice a shot finally rip through his skull. Keelah… My 'contact' falls to the floor, dead. The human slowly gets up from the floor and walks towards me. He has a massive grin on his face, and is… surprisingly shorter than me. Most humans I've met have either been around my height, or taller than me. He's almost a head shorter than me. He has what humans call a mustache, and his head is covered in messy black hair that looks like it's been rubbed around a lot. Just below his chin, he has a small patch of hair. On his face are a pair of lenses that seem to be made of glass.

"You alright, ma'am?" he asks me, shaking me from my thoughts. He seems to have a kind tone to his voice, and seems genuinely concerned about me. Still, I keep my pistol raised to his face. If he's nervous, he doesn't show it. "You seemed to be in a pretty sticky situation, there."

"Who are you?" I ask immediately. He just took out two Salarians and a Turian. He's dangerous, whoever he is. "What is it that you want from me?" His gaze shifts to confusion.

"What, I can't just help a lass for the hell of it?" he asks me. "What's with the mask, by the way? You a gypsy?" He… doesn't know what my suit is for? Does he think I'm a human? But I have anatomical differences that are clear as day!

"I am a Quarian," I tell him, bracing myself for the abuse he'll throw my way. Instead, I see his face shift into slight confusion, then panic, then into… acceptance?

"I see," is all he says in response. "I see, I see… I see, said the blind man, as he picked up his saw…" I can't help but be caught off guard at this. What is he…?

"A Quarian, huh?" he asks me. "Can't say I've ever met one of your kind. Still, that explains the suit," he hums in thought before offering me his hand. "********* ********, though everyone calls me Kai." I slowly lower my weapon, holstering it before I take his hand in mine, giving it a light shake.

"Tali'Zorah nar Rayya," I reply with my name. "But you may call me Tali." I can see something shift behind his eyes, though I'm not sure exactly what. His smile doesn't leave his face, however.

"Nice to meet ya, Tali!" he takes his hands and rests them on his hips. "So, mind explaining why these guys were out to kill you?" I feel my pulse quicken a bit, even though I know it probably shouldn't. He just saved me, after all. I can trust him, right?

"Well…" Keelah, I'm rubbing my hands together! I always do that when I get nervous! I immediately set my hands down to my sides, hoping he didn't notice. "I… have information about the Geth and how they're working for Saren. Or at least with him," I tell Kai. "I was going to hand it to the Shadow Broker for protection, but it looks like that didn't work…" I sigh and look away slightly, feeling like an idiot.

"Hey now," Kai speaks in a soft voice as he rests his hand on my arm. I can't help but flinch at the contact. I guess I'm still nervous after all… "Look at me, Tali," he insists. It sounds more like he's asking me than telling me. Slowly, I let my head turn back to look at him. He has a soft smile on his face, and a relaxed posture. Keelah, why does it feel so hot in this suit!? "You did what anybody else would have done. You just got stuck with a bad deal." My heart is pounding. Stop looking at me like that! "Now, let's go find someone who can-" Before Kai can finish his sentence, I hear the sound of a gunshot. Kai lets out a yelp and falls to the ground.

"Kai!" I hear myself scream.

 **Shepard's POV**

I can't help but hold my breath as the human goes down. Garrus took a good shot, but I doubt it'll take him down for long. My eyes widen, though, when the Quarian lets out a shout of surprise and worry. She quickly kneels beside the human, Kai is what she called him. Shit, did we take out the wrong guy? No, Fist told us that she'd be meeting with a contact here and would be set up for an ambush. It's more likely that this "Kai" was just about to attack her. Still, if there's anything that I've learned from being part of the Alliance, it's to never dismiss any option available. Even while that's true, I keep my shotgun raised in a ready position, able to take the guy out until I know exactly what's going on.

"No, no," the Quarian seems to be pleading the young man as he struggles to get up. He's chuckling though, so he can't be too injured. In this light it's hard to tell, but he obviously has facial hair and seems to have olive skin. He's shorter than me by a good foot. His clothing is strange, but it doesn't look like he has armor, or even shielding. All in all, he doesn't look threatening. Shit, did I just order the firing upon a civilian? "Please, get up, Kai!"

"Hey, no issue," Kai chuckles and grunts, getting up slowly. I can tell it's hurting him, though. Despite this, he stands strong with a huge smile on his face. I see him turn to face us. "Not a bad shot, ya know? But you got the wrong person." I curse under my breath as I lower my shotgun. I motion for Garrus, Kaidan, Ashley, and Wrex to do the same. The Quarian offers Kai her shoulder to lean upon. Not once has his grin disappeared. It's actually getting a little creepy to look at. As if reading my mind, his smile becomes more subdued. "So, who are you merry bunch of misfits?" He seems much too relaxed to have just been shot. Despite this, I take the more official approach.

"I'm Commander Shepard," I introduce myself, latching my shotgun to the back of my waist once more. I shoot the man an apologetic look, visible since I don't have my helmet equipped at the moment. "I apologize, we'd gotten word that this Quarian was going to be ambushed, so we went for the option of shoot first, ask questions later."

"Really, it would have been ask questions never," Garrus chimes in from beside me. I hear him grunt as someone punches his shoulder. Probably Ash. Kai, however, doesn't seem fazed by this.

"No problem," replies the man that was shot. "I'm just glad you didn't _keep_ shooting. That wouldn't have been good." I can't help but hesitate. This man is unreal! He takes a nearly crippling shot and acts like it isn't an issue! Ashley seems to agree with my thoughts.

"How are you so calm?" she asks, stepping forward. The Quarian takes a step back, but Kai stands firm. "You just got shot to the floor, how can you just brush that off so easily?" The young man shrugs, but I can tell he just hid a grimace.

"I'm used to pain," he says simply. "That, and I know that the pain will go away eventually. No use getting upset over a mistake."

"This kid either has a quad on him," Wrex rumbles from behind me, "or he's just stupid." The red crested Krogan has a point. Kai, once more, shrugs at this.

"Maybe a little of both," he chuckles. "Anyways, Miss Tali'Zorah nar Rayya here has some evidence backing up that some guy named Saren is working with the Geth. I assume that's pretty bad, and that's why you're here, right?" Just like that, he brushes aside his own injury. What is this guy made of, and where can we supply it for the Alliance!?

"It is," I respond, trying to process everything that this man is. He's an enigma; I can't get a read on him. While his face seems to express his naivete and utter disregard for his own health, I can see something behind his eyes. He's not as stupid as he lets on. Just how intelligent he is, however, eludes me. "We need to take this evidence to the Council. Do you mind coming with us, Tali'Zorah?" I turn to the Quarian, who recoils slightly in shock to be called out so suddenly. I give her a moment to respond.

"Y-Yes," Tali'Zorah replies, hesitation laced in her voice. It's only natural, since she just saw the human who's leaning against her get shot. I'm still not sure what happened here, but it seems obvious that Kai isn't a threat to anyone. "But only if you please not shoot my friend again."

"Hey, hey," Kai laughs good heartedly. "I'm a tough one. I can take another shot!" Tali'Zorah shakes her head, and I can almost feel her glare on the man. I can't help but cross my arms as well before I step forward. I pull up my omni-tool and apply some medigel to Kai's wounded shoulder. It was not a grazing shot. It went in one side and out the other. How can he endure that kind of pain? "Ahhh, thanks, Commander," he sighs, and I can see him visibly relax. At least I know he could feel the pain, and it wasn't just nothing to him.

"I would like if you came with us as well," I tell the young man. His eyes widen at that. I try and hide a smirk at knowing I've finally caught him off guard. "You witnessed everything that happened here, and you seem like you can take some punches. With some training, you'd make a good addition to my squad." His grin turns lopsided at this, but I can see the gears turning in his head in that brief moment. He takes his weight off of the Quarian and gives me a sloppy salute.

"Aye aye, Commander!" I nod to him and begin to walk past the pair.

"We need to head up to the Human Embassy to report our findings," I tell them. "If you'd follow me." Despite my calm words, I also know that I need to report the incident with the civilian named Kai. We _shot_ an unarmed civilian. I could be given a dishonorable discharge for this! Hell, maybe even worse if Kai decided to press charges. I shake my head. No, Kai seems like a well-meaning young man. I doubt he'd just pull a fast one over me like that. I'm so deep into my thoughts that I hardly notice Lt. Alenko walk up beside me.

"Commander?" he speaks softly to grab my attention. I turn slightly to face him. "Are you sure we should be bringing this guy with us? He seems a bit… unhinged." Kaidan Alenko is actually a pretty handsome man, despite his very to-the-book attitude. I've stated several times that I don't mind a relaxed posture when we're among friends, but he seems to disagree with that notion. Kaidan motions behind us with a slight nod, where Kai is taking far too much enjoyment as he speaks animatedly to Wrex and Garrus. Garrus even has given up his Lancer I assault rifle for the young man to look at; though he seems disgruntled at the fact. All the while, Ashley is watching with mild interest with a hint of distrust, and Tali'Zorah seems a bit more relaxed than before. Her eyes are lingering on Kai whenever she turns to look at the trio.

"As far as I can tell, he's just fine," I reply to Kaidan. "Besides, we did him wrong by shooting him. As much as I hate to admit it, we can't just sweep this under the rug. I have to own up to my orders to shoot him." Kaidan merely shakes his head and sighs.

"It's not like he has any proof," the man insists. "Nobody's going to believe this Quarian and you really don't-"

"That's enough," my voice is firm, indicating that the topic is finished. I really don't want to admit to this, but I know that I will. I know that I don't _have_ to; it's my word against his after all. Even still, I'd feel the guilt anyway. "Kaidan, why don't you help by making Tali'Zorah more comfortable? She could use someone to talk to, it looks like." Kaidan seems hesitant, but concedes. He gives me a "Yes ma'am" before trailing back to speak with our Quarian. We all file onto the elevator to head towards the Upper Wards, and I notice that Kai is standing beside me, sans Garrus' rifle. He seems to be looking up at me, a soft smile on his face. It's as if he's looking at an old friend. Despite that, I can still see thoughts flashing by in his head, as if sizing me up. "Is there something you want to talk about?" I finally ask him. Kai hesitates a moment, something that surprises me. He's truly an enigma.

"Yeah," he mumbles before seemingly finding his voice. "Just… you're interesting. You're different from the rest." I cock an eyebrow at that. Well, during basic I was considered beautiful by my mates. Red hair and green eyes were hard to come by, these days, it seemed. Was he developing a crush on me?

"Different how?" I decide to humor him just a bit. At least he didn't have much of a grudge against me. I suppose he was a bit interesting as well, in some strange way.

"You're strong," he replies. I scoff. That sounded like something a Krogan would say. His smile becomes more sly at my short laugh. The elevator reaches its destination, and we begin travelling down the hall towards the next elevator to take us up to the Presidium. "You misunderstand me. You're strong-willed and have a good shoulder on your head." That takes me by surprise. I've been told those things before, but not by someone who I'd only met less than an hour ago.

"Oh?" I reply, trying to keep my calm. "How can you tell?"

"The way you walk," Kai replies. My eyes sharpen. "It's the walk of a soldier. Not some chump who came out of basic and can hold a gun, but of someone who's experienced and knows just what to do when the time comes." My brain races as he speaks. He's no ordinary young man, that's for sure. In fact, he might even be a threat if he were against me. Just how much of one, I don't know. But he's hiding something. Then, his goofy smile reappears as quickly as it had gone. "Ah, but I'm just some punk who doesn't know shit, right?" His innocent smile isn't fooling me. He's more than I've been giving him credit for. That makes me a bit uneasy. Maybe Kaidan was right… Kai smiles once more before trailing behind me; leaving me to my thoughts. I can't help but be a little paranoid about him, now.

 **Kai's POV**

Hahaha, I'm an idiot! _You're interesting_? _Different from the rest_? What the hell, me!? Am I _trying_ to get caught or worse, shot again!? I inwardly grunt. Jesus, that thing hurt like a bitch! It was hard enough to keep up that smile for Tali's sake, but even worse that then I had to keep up the strong act for Shepard! Speaking of which, _Commander fucking Shepard_! I'm in the fucking Mass Effect universe! How the flying Christ monkeys!? I swear to God if this is some sort of drug trip, I'm gonna _fuck up_ whoever slipped me some bad shit. Calm down. Focus. Think. I was alone when I first passed out. Nobody slipped me anything. Dimensional travel; seeming like a more viable option. I take a deep breath as I slip in beside Tali, keeping the light smile on my face. Don't let them in. Don't act even more out of place than I already have. They already think I'm a weirdo; let's just let them keep thinking that. I can prove myself later.

Speaking of which, I'm now part of Shepard's ground team? Really? I know there's more going on here, you red headed woman. I just have to figure out what. Wait, does this mean I'm now part of the Normandy crew? Holy balls, really!? Oh man, this is awesome! Finally, some adventure and thrill that I don't just have to imagine! This is all actually happening! Well, I think it is, actually. Gonna have to get a rain check on this. Still, if I'm actually here… That's fucking amazing! Whooo!

"Are you feeling alright, Kai?" Garrus the Turian asks me from my right. I look up at the tall creature and nod, smiling.

"Just dandy," I respond. "Thanks for letting me see your gun; it's really cool!" Garrus seems to roll his eyes, but there's hints of a smile on his face.

"Well, it's not every day a civilian like you gets to see the firearms a C-Sec officer like me uses," he tells me. "I imagine it's quite the thrill." He has no idea. "Since you'll be with us for a while, maybe I'll give you a chance to fire this thing at something." He pats the weapon strapped to his right shoulder for good measure.

"Heh, maybe," I grin widely as I respond. I hear Wrex snort.

"The little pyjak probably couldn't hit a target right in front of him," the Krogan taunts me. Tali looks like she's about to speak up, but I give her a subtle look. She remains quiet, though she seems confused. "I could probably throw him across the Citadel if I wanted to."

"Probably!" I grin and give the Krogan a noncommittal shrug; complete with the cock of my head. He growls, but doesn't say anything more. Garrus, on the other hand, lets out a soft chuckle at my disregard of Wrex's opinion.

"So where are you from?" Ashley asks as she walks up beside the rest of us. Kaidan seems more attentive to me as this question is asked, but once more moves up to walk beside Shepard. Still, I'll bet he's listening closely for my answer. "Not a lot of people come to the Citadel alone; and even less would just help an alien on a whim." Tali also seems interested in my answer, now. I give them a cheeky smile.

"Well, see, when a mommy and a daddy love each other a whole lot-" I begin. I hear Shepard bust a short laugh in front of us. Garrus seems a tad embarrassed and Wrex hides a small smirk of amusement. Ashley, however, seems a bit shocked at my completely off the wall answer.

"That isn't what I meant," she tells me with a small frown, but she seems to get the point that I'm not going to answer the question. Shit, I just made them even more suspicious of me, didn't I? I'm going zero for two, here. Shit. Oh well, it seems like we're arriving at the Human Embassy. I can see Udina inside, and he seems pissed. We all approach the man with the receding hairline, and he shakes his head.

"You're not making my life easy, Shepard," he complains as Shepard stands with her arms behind her back, in a relaxed posture. Her face is almost stone like; unmoving and unwilling to break against this guy. "Firefights in the wards; an all-out assault on Chora's Den," he turns to face us. Yeah, he's definitely pissed off. "Do you know how many-" he cuts himself off, finally noticing Tali and I. He motions towards us. "Who're these? A Quarian and a civilian?" He speaks with a barely hidden disgust, and I can almost feel Tali tense up beside me. Right, she's a Quarian. Her people aren't exactly welcome in places like these, are they? I feel my temper rise, though. Nobody fucks with my friends. "What are you up to, Shepard?"

"Hello there, Ambassador Udina," I step forward before Shepard has a chance to talk. She seems shocked, but I ignore that. Instead, I offer the man my hand. He looks surprised at this gesture, giving Shepard a pointed look before shaking my hand. "Pleasure to finally meet you. We're the two people about to give you information on how Saren is a dirty traitor." I smirk at his furthering shock. "But please, go on, do keep making assumptions about us as those in political power tend to do." I can see the fury behind his eyes, but he manages to keep a calm expression. Damn, I was hoping to piss him off openly.

"My apologies," he attempts to backtrack, once more turning to Shepard. He's not apologizing to Tali or I, is what his body language is telling us. No, we don't get that right. My teeth grit a bit, but I reign in my temper. He isn't worth making a racket over right now. "It's been a very stressful time, so forgive me if I'm a bit high strung." I'll string your ass right up, old man. "Maybe you should start at the beginning, miss…?" He looks so mechanical and stiff. He really needs to get laid.

"My name is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya," Tali introduces herself. Despite the underlying nervousness in her voice, she's doing well in front of the human Ambassador. I can see the question that Udina is about to ask, and I inwardly groan. These conversations are boring as all hell, and I really don't feel like listening. Instead, I decide to ponder the people around me. Garrus seems ok with me, as of yet. He doesn't like me, but he doesn't dislike me. Wrex really doesn't seem to care for my presence; nor does Kaidan. He's really suspicious of me, it looks like. Ashley doesn't seem to care either way. She seems like she's just pissed that I dodged her questions. Shepard? Well, she seems to be the one most interested in me. Like I'm a mystery to her, but still a source of slight amusement. That is, if the gleam in her eyes from when I spoke up earlier is to say anything. I blink, though, as Kaidan nudges me.

"Huh? What?" I mumble, looking around. Everyone is staring at me.

"If you're done daydreaming, Mr…" Udina speaks up. My eyes narrow at him.

"********* ********," I reply to him. "But everyone calls me Kai."

"Mr. ********," he continues. Dick. "I was asking you how you'd like to go about the charges of Commander Shepard ordering that you be shot." I blink and look at the woman in question. Despite the firm expression on her face, she seems tense. Wait, that was an issue? "You can press charges for being assaulted and injured as an unarmed civilian." I notice the look in Udina's eye. It's predatory.

"I was shot?" I ask in the most confused and perplexed tone I can muster. I can't help but notice the subtle glance of shock from Shepard. Did she really think I'd sell her out so easily? "I mean, I was fired upon for a warning shot, but nothing actually hit. See? Not a scratch on me." I give Udina a shit eating grin. No doubt he can see the hole on my shirt, but I can claim that was just a tear that already existed. I'm bullshitting him, and he knows it. But unless he has substantial proof from _me_ , he can't order anything to be done with Shepard. Is that an impressed look he's giving me? Eww, it's like if Hitler told me I was a saint.

"I see," he sighs and shakes his head. "Then I will present this evidence to the Council. Hopefully it will be enough to make an impression on them and end this business with Saren once and for all." With that, Udina leaves us. All attention is now on me as Shepard steps forward.

"Why did you defend me?" she asks me, thoroughly perplexed. I chuckle and give her a knowing look, one that she catches. "You had every right to have me punished for my actions, so why?"

"Why not?" is what I reply with, giving her a smile. "What you did was something you believed the right thing to do. You had no malicious intent, and were only following what you believed your mission parameters along with the information given to you. I don't blame you in the slightest, Commander." I give her a mocking salute as she shakes her head, giving me a coy smile. If that isn't enough to earn a bit of trust from her, then I don't know what will.

 **Shepard's POV**

The next few hours fly by for me. During all of them, I can't help but think about the strange man that is ********* ********, or Kai as he prefers to be called. He's been like this all day, bouncing between something of a lovable idiot to a steel cold strategist and politician. If you gave the mind of a tactician to a complete child, you'd find out that you'd just created Kai. It's almost awe inspiring how clever he can be. Just an hour earlier when we'd been arguing with the Council about hunting down Saren, or lack of, Kai simply stepped up and told them, "So you're telling me that the Citadel Council, the most powerful political force in Citadel Space, if not the entire galaxy, is refraining from hunting down one of the most powerful and influential Spectres to exist as of this day and age? Not one ship is going out to find and arrest a Turian accused and found guilty of treason upon the highest order? Tell me, dear Councilors, why this seems to be the case." Of course, this was announced in front of plenty of witnesses. He'd momentarily shocked everyone in the room by underhandedly suggesting the Council was _supporting_ Saren behind the scenes by doing nothing about him aside from stripping him of his title and authority. Thus, it was decided I would be the first human Spectre, and I would hunt down Saren under the Council's orders. Of course, we all knew it was them merely trying to save face, but it would be enough for any normal civilian to not even give the accusation a second look.

It all came even further around as we discovered that Captain Anderson would be stepping down from the Normandy, reassigning me in his place to command the experimental vessel. Again, backroom politics came into play here, something Kai once more made evident. "So, this man who's done more on the field in one day than you have in your entire career," he growled at Udina, "is stepping down just for the hell of it?" He laughed obnoxiously at that point. "You're funny, dear Ambassador. Very funny." Udina was furious, and I had to be extra polite to him just to keep him from throwing Kai off of the mission. It was entertaining to watch the young man in action, but damn it if he wasn't destructive along the way! At this rate, there might not be a galaxy to save if it meant unleashing this little hellspawn upon it. He had no sense of temperament or holding back. It seemed like "Ready, Fire, Aim" was his mantra.

I'd have to knock that out of him. After giving a short speech to the crew about our mission, I had Joker set a course for the Artemis Tau systems. Arrival would be approximately four days to the planet a Dr. Liara T'Soni would be found, so I decided to call Kai down to the hangar bay to discuss his role on the team; as well as keeping that mouth of his shut when needed. If I was going to have him working with me, I needed to know that he wouldn't cause any other issues while we worked on the problem involving Saren. Before he arrived, I asked Ashley, Wrex, and Garrus to head up to the Crew Quarters Deck while I prepared for his lesson. I wanted to know just how competent Kai was. To do that, I needed to first test just how intelligent he was.

 **Kai's POV**

I yawn as the elevator came to a stop to the Hangar Bay Deck, stretching as I slowly step off. It seemed like everyone was off to eat in the mess, even though Shepard had called me down. She was probably having them clear the area for some sort of training. Well, I couldn't expect anything less, really. She was the commander, so she wanted to see just what I was capable of. In fact, if she wanted that, where was she? Shouldn't she be here? I blink, chuckling softly. So, it was an active battlefield course, then? Seeing how I perform under real-life conditions? Interesting. I allowed myself to hug the wall and hum to myself. If I were a sneaky Shepard, where would I hide? Ah, there. Right in the shadows above the lockers, right where Ashley's things are. You may think you're well hidden, ma'am, but the tip of your shotgun is poking out just enough for me to see the small protrusion. You're aiming at… the crate in the center of the room with a pistol, sniper rifle, shotgun, and assault rifle on it. Do you take me for an idiot, my dear?

I glance around the room, slowly edging my way around. I smirk, approaching one of the lockers near the doors to the Engineering Deck. I hide behind them, knowing I've probably confused her. I hum once more to myself as I decide my course of action. Four weapons, all guarded. Fair distance away from target. Shotgun and assault rifle nonviable. Pistol, perhaps. Sniper rifle most viable weapon. Potentially heavy, so nab pistol first and return later for sniper rifle. Note, no armor. One shot can deal serious damage. Be careful. Target is cornered and cannot move. Cover fire immediately after grabbing pistol. Backup plan; disappear if failing to create cover fire. Disappear on the opposite edge, under the Mako. Time passed, two seconds. Plan. Let's go.

I burst from my cover, sprinting across the deck towards the pistol. I grasp it and immediately take cover behind the crate. It proves more sturdy than I gave it credit for, as Shepard begins hailing it with mass accelerator rounds as soon as I'm down. Count the shots. One, two, three. She has to stop or risk overheating her weapon. Cover fire, now. I pop up after activating my pistol and aim for the location I know she was just at. Pop! Pop! Pop! I continue this barrage of rounds as I grab the sniper rifle, making my way to the Mako. I disappear behind it just as my weapon begins to overheat. I stop firing just short so the alarms from the weapon won't trigger.

I sigh and crawl underneath the vehicle, hearing Shepard once more firing. She's not aiming for the Mako, though. She doesn't know I'm here! I grin, setting myself up as soon as she starts to fire. I only have one shot until she becomes suspicious. I smirk and ready the rifle, peering down the scope as her last shot goes off. Jesus, this thing is heavy! No wonder it wobbles to and fro in the game! I grunt softly and take aim at the Commander from under the Mako. Her head peers up over her cover in confusion. I don't want to take her head off, so… BAM! A round slams into her shoulder, knocking out her shields as she stumbles back in surprise. I see the shimmer of blue, letting me know that her shields have been knocked out for a while. Shepard visibly sighs and stands, holding up her arms in surrender. She walks out to the center of the room as I crawl out from under the Mako.

"Not bad for a newbie, eh?" I grin, approaching her. She looks at me with surprise, though that isn't much of a surprise to me. Her expression relaxes after a second, though. "I gotta tell you, that was an interesting setup. I saw right through it, though."

"So I can tell," Shepard replies. She sounds mildly impressed. "I didn't expect you to move so quickly from cover, though. Most newbies would stick with the safe area." She once more holsters her shotgun to her lower back, then crosses her arms. "I definitely wouldn't have thought to look under the Mako until a second later, either. You reacted quickly, moved quietly, and managed to catch me off guard. Not a lot of people can do that."

"I got lucky," I wave her off. "Seriously, that sniper shot was luck. How can you stand the weight of that thing!?" Shepard smiles slightly in response to that.

"The weight is made to reduce recoil," she explains to me. "It has quite the punch, so the extra weight prevents it from sending the weapon, and you, from flying back after every shot. You get acclimated to it after a while." She moves over some of the weapons on the metal crate, then sits down on it. "You're not bad, but you still move like a civilian. I can also tell that you aren't used to handling firearms that are military grade." She pauses for me to think over that for a moment. "While your tactical thinking isn't bad, most firefights won't allow you to move around unseen. Not to mention that we need to get you into some armor, as well as issue you an omni-tool." She pauses once more. "I'll call you down here once every day, and we can train you."

"Sounds good!" I smile at her. While she smiles back at me, it's uneasy. "I'll enjoy being led by a lovely lass such as yourself!" Shepard rolls her eyes at my light teasing, though she can't hide the smile.

"Speaking of training you," she sighs. "I need you to not be so… aggressive when you speak." I blink at that. "You have a tendency to speak your mind, and that isn't always a good thing. If you hadn't noticed, you could have created some real messes with Udina and the Council."

"But they deserved it," I reply simply. I don't respect assholes just because they have power. They have to earn it from me. Shepard shakes her head, though.

"That isn't how things work, Kai," she addresses me. "You have to learn to bite your tongue. It can get you into a lot more trouble than what it's worth." I frown at that and grumble. "Kai, you're now a serviceman under my command. You're to follow my orders to the letter and do as I instruct. You do understand that, don't you?" I stay silent, going over her words in my head. I have to obey someone? But that isn't fair! I just wanted to join in on her adventures! Shepard sighs. "If you really don't want to, I can drop you off at the next station we dock at. You won't have to be part of this crew, and can go on to do… whatever it is you do." I hesitate. I don't like taking orders. People are idiots, and they don't deserve to tell me what to do. Still… This is Commander Shepard. If anyone has the right to lead me into battle… To take me on such a grand adventure…

"I guess…" I mumble, with the Commander leaning forward in interest as I speak. "I guess I can try," I tell her. I give her a slight smile, which she returns. She's actually really pretty when she's smiling. Take her out of that heavy armor, and I'd bet she'd just be like any other woman. "I'll do what I can for you, Commander."

"That's all I ask," Shepard tells me in response. She stands up, resting her hands on her hips. "Now then, how about we go up to the mess and grab some food? I'm sure you're pretty hungry after today. I know that I am." I nod, chuckling as we head to the elevators. "So, tell me about yourself, Kai. I like to know my team. What do you do during your down time?"

"Well," I smile as the elevator doors close. "There's a lot I can tell you, actually."

 **Shepard's POV**

I allow myself to think as I sit at my desk, looking over the files of each of my crew members. While I do like to take the time to know them each personally, I'd also like to know where they come from to avoid any uncomfortable topics. So far, I've found that I have a very colorful crew. I set the file on Garrus down, staring up at the blank wall in front of me. I'd talked to everyone around the ship today, just to get a feel for my crew. First there's Joker, a lovable asshole if I've ever met one. Cocky and arrogant, I have faith he can get the job done if he's as good as he says he is. I might have to help him tone down his jokes, though.

Then there's Ashley, the Gunnery Chief from Eden Prime. She seems to mean well, but I'm concerned she won't work well with the non-human crew. She seemed pretty worried about them, after all.

After Ashley, there's Kaidan. He's the most professional out of everybody. Honestly, it's probably his best trait. He's predictable, and means well. Still, he seems at edge with Kai. From what I gather, he doesn't trust our resident civilian turned serviceman. I don't exactly disagree with him, but Kaidan seems to think Kai is up to something nefarious.

Next is Wrex. The big, angry Krogan just looking to help his race. At least, that's what I gathered from talking to him. He acts like he doesn't care, but I know that deep down, he probably wants the best for his race. I'd be the same way, if humanity was anything like the Krogan. I hope I can help him out, someday.

Then there's Garrus, the former C-Sec Turian. He doesn't seem to like rules very much, but I can work with that. As long as I don't have to worry about him causing more damage than we solve, we'll be fine. I just hope his ideals don't get the better of him.

Next on my list is Tali. As I look over her files, I notice she doesn't have much. Just another Quarian on her Pilgrimage, looking for a greater than decent gift to bring back to the Migrant Fleet. She seems to get along with mostly everybody on the team. The Normandy crew? Not so much. Still, Chief Engineer Adams seems to appreciate her help. Since she rarely travels outside of the Engineering deck anyway, I figure she's in good hands.

I sigh, then it's the man of the hour; ********* "Kai" ********. Honestly, I'm not sure it was a great idea to bring him. Still, I can see where he'd be invaluable. He has a knack for strategy and patterns. Also, from what I learned, he has the ability to quickly learn whatever is placed in front of him. Remembering it, however, is a completely different beast. He's hyperactive and has trouble focusing, jumping from one thing to another. While it could be a liability later on, it absolutely thrives in his adaptability. He easily learned how to move in the test armor we gave him, and he was able to recall most facts about the galaxy well after an hour of learning them. He was able to jump from subject to subject as needed. What concerns me, though, is how much Dr. Chakwas and I actually had to teach him. Some things that would be common knowledge simply eluded him; like pulling up the extranet on his omni-tool. In fact, actually using the omni-tool was something we had to teach him.

Kai is an enigma. One that I'm just a little bit worried about. He's unhinged; a loose cannon that can be just as destructive as he is helpful. It doesn't help that he appears to have something of a crush on me, if his incessant flirting is anything to go by. Seriously, calling me his Rosy Fire Flower in front of the entire crew present in the mess was uncalled for. Punching him in the gut would have almost been worth it if he hadn't been laughing the entire time; even _after_ I have him an uppercut that sent his feet off of the floor! As entertaining as he is, he's equally infuriating. Still, he has a lot of potential. If only he wasn't so hard to deal with.


	2. Chapter 1: Research

_Well, now I'm actually interested in this story. I've been meaning to write a Sci-Fi one sooner or later, and this is the perfect release. Anyways, I don't own shit. For those wondering; yes, this is inspired by Mass Vexations, but I have my own twists to add to this motely tale._

 **Chapter One: Research**

Let me put you straight, I love being on the Normandy. It's awesome! In fact, it's one of the best things that's ever happened to me! Oh look, there goes Ashley Williams grabbing some food at the mess. Hey, that's Garrus _freaking_ Vakarian going off to calibrate his weaponry for the nth time. Oh, who's that? That's Commander _fuck flipping Shepard_! Jesus balls of all that is holy, this is the dream! A dream that I really hope isn't a dream! Gaaaaaaaah I'm on the goddamn Normandy!

"Kai?" I hear Shepard's voice and blink. Shit, she's standing right in front of me. Damn you fanboy moment! I really wish I'd studied up more on Mass Effect lore, now that I'm here. There were comics, right? "Are you feeling alright?" Ah, shit, I should probably answer her.

"Doing just fine," I say in as convincing a voice I can manage. Yeah, that was pretty shitty, even by my standards. She's not buying it in the slightest. "Are _you_ feeling alright?" There we go, send it right back at her. No? No, she looks unimpressed. And now she's giving me the crossed arms and cocked eyebrow.

"You were squealing to yourself," is her dry reply. I give her a cheeky smile. If her eyebrow could be even more cocked, it would be. Oh! She's going for the slightly tilted head and shifting on her feet maneuver!

"I was thinking about kittens," I reply simply. No hesitation. While Shepard's eyes widen just slightly, there's nothing there saying that she doesn't believe me. "Cats are adorable." I really hope they still have cats here, or I'm fucked.

"Yeah, they are," Shepard replies to me after a moment of thought. Fuck yeah! She gives me a light smile and pats my shoulder. "You can enjoy thinking about them after training today." Fuck! She moves past me, probably heading to the Hangar Bay. "Meet me down there in ten minutes. I'll have everything ready for you, then." I groan in response, though she doesn't seem to take notice. When I look back up, Ashley and Kaidan are both smirking.

"All of my hate," I growl at them, causing Ash to try and hide laughter. I sigh, though, as I shake my head and make my move towards the elevator. I really don't have anything else to do until training time, and I hate being late. It almost feels like ten minutes have passed while I wait for the elevator. Why is it so slow!?

When I finally step out onto the Hangar Bay, Wrex steps onto the elevator. We give each other short nods as we pass by one another, though Wrex seems as grumpy as usual. The door closes behind me, and I'm left watching as Shepard arranges several crates along the center of the hangar into rows. She glances at me before continuing her work. Damn, she's strong. I mean, I felt her punch from when I was teasing her last night, but shit she was really holding back on her uppercut!

After a moment of moving more crates into position, she walks over to the lockers on the left side of the room and grabs both a pistol and an assault rifle. The woman than saunters over to the far side of the 'battlefield' she's designed. "We don't have any armor with us to fit someone your size," she tells me as she continues to set everything up. "Because of that, we'll be using "paper rounds". They aren't actually paper, but they are light and non-lethal." After grabbing the ammunition clips and switching them out, she turns back to me. I approach her slowly. "For this lesson, I'll have my shields down to make it a bit more fair to you. You seem like you know how to use a pistol, but I don't know if you're experienced with a rifle at all."

"I'm not," I reply to her, a bit overwhelmed. The last time I'd practiced with her, I was confident because I wanted to prove myself. This time? No such reason. This was training, so I could be as uneasy as I wanted. I was feeling pretty damn uneasy. "I'd never touched one until yesterday when Garrus let me use his." I can see her sigh, though her expression suggests that she isn't surprised by this.

"That's good enough," she tells me. "Do you know how to shoot one?" I nod. Garrus had shown me that yesterday. Still, I figured it would be good to see for myself. I hum as I pick up the rifle, looking it over. It's lighter than it looks; by a good five pounds. It's also just the right size for someone like me. Garrus' was bigger. "It's a prototype version that the Alliance has been working on," she informs me. "A lighter weapon with just as much firepower as the original. It's been dubbed the Rapier." I grin at that.

"So, just as much punch, eh? You sure you have a chance against me, Fire Flower?" I ask playfully. Shepard rolls her eyes, but there's a light dusting of pink on her cheeks. Whether it's from aggravation or affection, I haven't the slightest clue. Still, it's a funny reaction. I simply smile and cradle the rifle in the same way I've seen other people do it. Shepard frowns at this and reaches towards me. I flinch at that. While she doesn't make any facial note that the noticed that, she hesitates before adjusting my grip on the rifle so its stock is rested against my forearm, and my opposite hand is tightly gripping the barrel.

"Keep the stock against something solid," she tells me, looking over my form. "Sloppy, but it'll work for now. Make sure to keep your legs as shoulder length apart." I blinked, obeying her orders as she circled around me; every so often nudging a part of me that was out of position. She was in complete commander mode right now. Gone was the woman I teased and joked with, this was the hero of the Alliance. "Keep your back straight, but remain loose enough that the recoil won't knock you over. I said legs at shoulder length!" I instantly snap into position. "Good! Aim!" I immediately pull the rifle up by my face, the stock resting against my shoulder blade. I can just nearly see down the sight. "Sloppy! You're aim is too low, straighten it out!" Oh God, what have I done to deserve such hell?

Training went like that for a good ten minutes before Shepard decided to put me in a live fire situation. At her word, I took cover behind one of the lines of crates she had set up. There were about five places to use as cover, and she could be at any one of those. I grumble to myself. If I stand too tall to look, she can pelt me down. If I don't look at all or can't find her, she can sneak up on me. I pause. Sneak. Can do the same. She'll expect me to pull something similar. Cover fire. Hide. Can't make the same mistake. So what…? My eyes wander to the cannon and machine gun on top of the Mako. A wide grin covers my face. I activate my omni-tool, then get to work. Plan. Let's go.

 **Shepard's POV**

I huff slightly as I rest against the line of crates along the center of the hanger. If Kai thinks I'll fight fair and start from the other end, he's shit out of luck. I'm going to strike hard, fast, and take him down this time. First, I'll check under the Mako. He won't be able to aim very well with an assault rifle down there, but you never know with someone like him. If he isn't there, then he'll probably have rounded behind me to catch me off guard. I grin to myself. I'll definitely beat him this time.

Part of me wonders why I'm so determined to outwit him. He's just a serviceman. Maybe that's exactly why. He's under my command, so I feel like I have to be superior to him. Especially with how cocky and destructive he can be. I have to keep him in line. I cock my shotgun and smirk. It's silent. Well, if he isn't going to make the first move, I will! I immediately pop over cover, creating cover fire for myself. I give him a few moments to recover after my onslaught of fire. I'm here to train him, not completely obliterate him. I have to remind myself of that. Still, I can't help but feel excited.

Once more I pop out to fire a few shots out, but this time a I move forward. I take care to lay low. I don't want him getting a lucky shot on me, after all. I nearly slam myself against the next row of cover, taking a few deep breaths. I can hear him shooting. So he's finally decided to come out? Good. It sounds like he's moving… to the right. After a few moments, he stops firing. I immediately move up once more, giving myself cover fire. One more row and I'll be right on top of him. I once more take cover behind a line of crates. I smirk, hearing him begin firing once more. It sounds like he isn't moving. Perfect. As soon as he stops, I vault over the crates and run towards his cover. I aim right to where he last was and… he's gone! What!? I feel panic rise within me, but shove it down. I immediately get behind cover on the opposite side of where I was. He circled around me! I curse under my breath. He's not firing. Shit, well this wasn't supposed to happen. Oh well. I can make do with this. I'll admit, he isn't so-

My eyes widen as I hear the Mako behind me start up. He didn't… I slowly stand, raising my shotgun at the vehicle. "Are you really doing this, Serviceman!?" I shout. "It's clever, I'll give you that; but this isn't the point of your training!"

"I know," speaks a cocky voice from behind me. I feel the cold metal barrel of an assault rifle press against the back of my torso. Did he…? When did he…? I sigh and relax as the barrel is pulled away from me. I turn around, frowning at his cocky grin. "Surprise~."

"You accessed the Mako's ignition system and used it as a distraction," I deduce. It was clever, but that wasn't the point of this training session. I wanted to scope his ability with an automatic weapon. Though I suppose that setting him one-on-one against me wasn't the best way to judge that. Instead, I was able to clearly see his ability to strategize.

"It wasn't easy, let me tell you," he chuckles shaking his head. "The hardest part was actually connecting to the damn thing. I'm still learning with this thing, after all." He shakes his left arm which has the omni-tool on it. "Still, that was fun."

"This isn't meant to be fun, Serviceman Kai," I scold the young man, feeling my temper rise a bit. Does he think this is some kind of game? "The lives of yourself and the rest of your squad rely on you being able to handle these weapons, as well as you being able to work with them in a firefight."

"Then by all means, make this a squad exercise," he challenges me. His eyes are narrowed. "Because if you keep setting me in a straight fight against you, you're going to keep getting this result." I can't help it. He's completely breaking the chain of command!

"That isn't the _point_!" I shout at him, hoping to quell his disobedience. He flinches, but stands firm under my scrutiny. "I need to know that you are capable with that weapon in your hands! I need to know that when everything comes down to it, you have our backs!"

"I will!" he shouts back, just as loudly as I do. I can feel myself scowling, now. He's being unreasonable! "Just let me prove myself to you! I can do this!"

"You're just a civilian," I protest, reigning back my voice. I have to stay professional. I can't let him win this battle. "Not only that, but I have no idea whether or not you can back up your words."

"Don't judge me before you've seen me fight!" I pause at his words. I know that I should continue pushing him. He's not ready, after all. But as soon as he shouted those words, I saw myself standing in his place. Those were the exact words I'd given my own commanding officer before my first mission. I was headstrong back then; cocky since both of my parents had been in the military. I could recall every rule in the book by heart, and every military procedure. I knew how to use every weapon available to the Alliance. I thought I was hot stuff back then. It took getting shot and sent to the medbay to realize that I was just like every other soldier.

My problem now is that getting shot won't cause the same effect to him. He's already been shot before, and it hasn't even fazed him. Still, this kind of determination is what we need to keep morale up. I can see it in his eyes. He truly believes he can fight, and come out winning. I know it's a bad choice, that he could end up getting hurt, but he needs to learn humility one way or another. I've made up my mind.

"Fine," I respond to him, getting a visible reaction. "You'll come with us when we go looking for Dr. T'Soni. If there's any chance to prove your worth, it'll be then. Just don't make me regret bringing a fresh civilian onto the mission." His expression softens, and he nods in response.

"Good," is his reply. "I won't let you down." His tone has lost its cocky demeanor, and he seems more… professional. "Now then, how about we start on helping me with this thing?" He shakes his omni-tool about, making me pause. Did he just suddenly take charge? But how? I'm supposed to be leading him, right now. I inwardly sigh. He's much more manipulative that I give him credit for. I can't help but wonder if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I step forward, though, and continue his lessons on using his omni-tool. This is going to be a long journey, from what I can tell.

After Kai's lessons, I decide to take a wander around the ship and get to know the rest of my ground team and crew. I think I've had enough of the unpredictable firestorm that is Kai to last me a year. No matter what I do, he seems to try and usurp my position. That isn't to say he seems to try and be in charge, but he adamantly refuses my orders and will do things his own way whenever possible. I still don't believe I can trust him on the ground, but I'll have to do whatever I can to cover for him. He doesn't seem malicious in his actions; just naïve. I'll have to beat that out of him the only way I know how. Hard training.

During my wanderings, I find myself at the Engineering Deck. It's not very far from the Hangar Bay, after all. I can't help but marvel at the drive core. This massive thing is inside the Normandy. _My_ vessel. Off to the side I can see Chief Engineer Adams discussing something with the Quarian, Tali. It's still a bit strange to have nonhumans here, but I suppose it's something that will go away with time. I find myself approaching them, and they notice me as I walk up.

"Commander," Adams greets me, giving me a salute. Tali simply nods to me, though I notice she's now rubbing her hands in front of herself. Is that a nervous habit? "Tali'Zorah and I were just discussing the optimization of the drive core. It's incredible, ma'am! Her knowledge of the mechanics and technical aspects of engineering is far beyond her years!"

"It's nothing, really," Tali seems embarrassed as she speaks. "It just comes with being a Quarian. Living on the flotilla for all your life requires that you be good at handling machinery. I'm not anything special, really." Tali then looks at me. "Is there anything you wanted to talk about, Commander?" I see that Tali still isn't quite comfortable speaking to me in an informal way. I suppose that's only natural at this point.

"I just like to know my crew," I tell them both. "I know about Adams, here, but what about you, Tali? What do you think of the ship?"

"It's amazing," Tali's voice instantly takes up a tone of awe. "I've never been in a ship so advanced. Most of the ships in the flotilla are old and need constant repairing. It would be incredible if I could take a ship like this back as my Pilgrimage gift."

"I'm afraid the Normandy is going to have to stay with me," I tease her, crossing my arms. Adams nods in agreement.

"As much as your Pilgrimage seems to mean, I like this vessel too much to part ways with it," he adds, chuckling. Tali seems taken aback at the suggestion.

"No, no, I would never take the Normandy back as my gift," she denies. "It's against our beliefs to bring back a gift that was gained illegitimately." I crack a smile at her frantic defense.

"We're joking, Tali," I tell her. "I have no doubt that you mean well by coming along."

"Ah, thank you… Commander," she stumbles in her speech. "I should really go back to keeping the drive core steady." She gives me a nod of acknowledgement before going back to the consoles at the edge of the deck. Adams turns to me, shrugging.

"She's still a bit shy, it seems," he tells me. "It took her a few hours to even start talking with the rest of us, but she seems to be adjusting slowly. Just give her more time, Commander. She'll come around."

"I should hope so," I reply. "Anyway, keep up the good work. I'm going to continue my rounds." Adams nods before giving me another short salute. I turn from the Engineering Deck and make my way to the Hangar Bay. I wonder if Garrus would be up for a discussion.

 **Kai's POV**

The rec room. Something noticeably absent in the games. Well, it wasn't really much of a rec room, and more of a lounge with a holo-television and a few seats around it. A few of the crew that were off duty were watching the news while Wrex was sitting to the side, looking particularly disgruntled. I look at the bored faces gazing at the screen and frown. This is no way to spend your time before a galaxy saving mission! No, this won't do at all!

"Oi!" I call out, getting everyone's attention. "What are you sad sacks doing, sitting around like a bunch of slumps?" I got a bit of a glare from the Krogan, but the other humans simply rolled their eyes at me.

"There isn't much to do on a ship in the middle of space," someone speaks up. "We've got three days of maintenance, eating, sleeping, and more maintenance. You try staying peppy and active when there's absolutely nothing to do."

"Aww, c'mon, guys!" I try and cheer them up, sporting my best award winning smile. They aren't buying it. "There's gotta be _something_ to do! We're on a state of the art Alliance frigate! Don't tell me you can't think of anything to do!"

"We can't!" another crew member, a woman this time, shouts back at me. "There's nothing to do. If you think otherwise, then you have to be insane."

"Sanity is nothing more than the lack of creativity," I shoot back, making her frown. I hook my omni-tool up to the television and hum. There must be _something_ on. Then, with the genius of a thousand Einsteins, I come up with an idea. "Karaoke!" I shout. The four crew members, shoot me perplexed looks, and Wrex just looks confused.

"What the hell is this… karaoke?" he asks me. I clap my hands, grinning widely.

"Karaoke is basically public singing. Usually when drunk, and with a bunch of other people to make fun of you when you sing bad, or encourage you when you're good!" I hop across the room to stand beside him, and he visibly leans away from me in his seat. The seat creaks under his weight. "C'mon, it'll be fun! I can even download a program to my omni-tool to let us do it."

"That sounds stupid," he growls, crossing his arms. Some of the others are giving me weird looks as well. They don't seem to be all for it. "If you humans wanted to really pass the time, you'd do it like the Krogan and have full contact fighting. At least then you wouldn't all be sitting around like a bunch of weaklings."

"Bah, you don't know how fun singing can be," I playfully punch the Krogan's shoulder, making him scowl at me. Ahhh probably not the best idea. Still, I gotta help these guys liven up somehow! Karaoke is the perfect way! Without anybody asking, I turn off the news and replace it with a karaoke program. A lot of the songs that appear on the screen I don't recognize. Scratch that, I don't have a clue what any of them are. _Battle of Unification_? _Matriarch's Lullaby_? Hell, what the hell is _Ode to the Ever Alert_? Shit, I don't know any of these songs!

I frown and download a different program. _Tribute to the Ages_ catches my eye. _"A collection of ancient and historical human music, in memory of humanity's artistic history. A must have for every music lover!"_ Sounds good to me! I immediately download it and send it onscreen. I can hear the chorus of groans from the rest of the crew present. And from Wrex. I guess everyone is too bored to actually move. A captive audience, wonderful!

I search through the available songs on the list. While I don't recognize a lot of them, I manage to pull out a few from my own day and age, and even before my time. I'm about a century in the future, right? So these songs aren't _too_ old! I hum to myself, trying to find an upbeat song to get these people dancing. I grin when I finally find one. I turn up the volume as the song begins. Beats that sort of remind me of stereotypical high school. No cares, no worries, just living life to the fullest.

 _"_ _I stay out too late~"_ I start. _"Got nothing in my brain. That's what people sa~ay. That's what people sa~ay. I go on to many dates. But I can't make them stay. At least, that's what people sa~ay. M-hm. That's what people sa~ay!"_ As I sing, I can see a few of the crew members lightly bouncing to the music. Wrex seems pissed, though. I guess he really doesn't like this display of "weakness".

 _"_ _But I keep crui~sing. Can't stop, won't mo~oving. It's like I got this mu~sic. In my mind, saying it's gonna be al-right!"_ Clap! Clap! I got one of them to start dancing! Tucks, I think his name was. I grin, bouncing over and starting to dance with him as I sing. Of course, I take it a step further than just his little head nodding and bouncing. I start to actively dance, despite how weird it makes my singing sound. Still, I can see smiles on the others' faces. Even Wrex seems to be enjoying the sight of me making a fool of myself. Or maybe I'm just putting so much effort and energy into this, he can't help but feel _something_. That's exactly what I want!

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see the lounge door open, with Garrus and Shepard standing at the door watching what's going on. I flash the Commander a wink and a grin before I continue my dancing and audio assault upon the crew. I grab one of the female members and start dancing with her. Really it's just some twisting of the hips while I hold her hands, but she's laughing and smiling in enjoyment and embarrassment. This is great! I make sure to swirl her before I let her go, grabbing the next person and getting them up to dance. I continue down the line before I finally reach Shepard, right as the song ends.

"Howdy there, Shep," I greet her with a grin. She rolls her eyes, but chuckles at me.

"I see you're enjoying yourself," she observes with a coy smile. "Singing competition?"

"Karaoke!" I exclaim, waving my arms in the air with my eyes clenched shut like an anime character. Her eyebrow cocks at this. "In fact, why don't you sing something, Commander?" She shakes her head at this and crosses her arms.

"Not right now," she tells me. I shrug and pass off the controls to another of the crew members so they can sing something. I grin and watch, happy that I managed to get something for the crew to do during their down time. Shepard and I stand side by side as one of the women choose a new song. I blink, though, when I see what it is. The familiar visage of long cyan hair and a bright blue tie appears onscreen. It's a fairly quirky opening, with light sounds and a peppy tone.

 _"_ _Miku. Miku. You can call me Miku. Blue, hair, blue, eyes, hiding in your Wi-Fi._ " I can't help but laugh. Of all the songs to make it to this time period, they got one of a Vocaloid!? The others are all giving me weird looks, though. What?

"It's Hatsune Miku," I point out. "I'm just surprised that it's considered one of humanity's classics." Shepard gives me a concerned look. "She's not real."

"Of course she was real," Shepard replies to me, making me pause. "Well, as real as the first Japanese tank born human can be." I can hardly believe my ears at this. "You mean you didn't know this? I figured that as strange as you are, you would know something like that. I only know because one of my squadmates during N7 training was…" She blushes and crosses her arms before speaking further. "He was such a nerd… Don't get me wrong; he deserved to be an N7, but he was a strange one." Her pointed gaze returns to me. "The creation of Hatsune Miku was a revolution in both science and ethics. To take a humanoid program and place it into flesh and blood. The entire program was shut down on Earth after the first few "meta-humans" were created. It was deemed unethical. How do you not know that?"

"I didn't pay a lot of attention in class, ok?" I counter in a whiny voice, trying to cover my lack of knowledge. "Everything was so boring! I hated school."

"And yet somehow you're one of the most clever people I've ever come across," she counters me. I shrug.

"I'm a natural," I tell her offhandedly as the song ends. I clap with all of the other crewmembers, but I can tell that I've made Shepard suspicious of me. Shit, my sheer lack of common knowledge is coming to bite me in the ass! And we haven't even gone on our first land mission, yet! I inwardly curse. This isn't going to be good if I keep screwing up like this. I have to do better. Be smarter. I can't keep up my act if I don't know how everything works and everything that's gone by. "I'm going to head to the Engineering Bay," I tell Shepard. "Give talk to Tali a little bit. Ja ne." I wave them all off as I leave the lounge. I needed to get out of there. I need someone comforting to talk to. Tali's the perfect candidate. Sweet, innocent Tali.

 **Tali's POV**

Maintaining the drive core is child's play for me. I've been cleaning out excess functions and optimizing power grids ever since I'd gotten my first suit. While the Normandy's drive core was advanced, it functioned the same way as every other core in the galaxy. At its basis, that is. While I work, I can feel my mind wandering. My fingers are flying over the holographic keys, clearing out any issues the core might be causing to the rest of the ship.

My mind wanders to Kai, the human man who'd saved me. From what any of us can tell, it was completely on a whim. At least, that's what he's having all of us believe. I sigh to myself, shaking my head at the thought. It seems like he's just a ball of complete chaos. My father would not like him in the slightest. Still, he has a very friendly personality, and treats the people he likes with respect. He would fit quite well on the flotilla, had he lived there.

Then there's the fact that he doesn't want to show off how capable he is. He intentionally hushed me when I was about to tell Commander Shepard about how easily he rescued me. I can't imagine why he would do that. Perhaps he's not as trusting as I thought. The Commander _did_ shoot him, after all. As I lose myself to my thoughts, I feel someone tap my shoulder I can't help but jump in surprise, yelping. I immediately spin, coming face to face with the object of my ponderings. Keelah, he scared me!

"Yo!" he speaks cheerily. "How's my favorite Quarian?" It's getting so warm in this suit…

"I-I'm fine," I reply, trying to keep myself calm. "What brings you down here, Kai?" I'm painfully aware of how close he is to me. His face is less than a foot from my mask. He has a curious look on his face. It almost looks as innocent as a child's.

"Just wanted to pop in and talk to you, silly!" Kai's voice almost seems like a cheer. "I wanted to know more about you. You seem really interesting!" I blink behind my visor. He wants to know more about me? I smile softly. He's a really nice human. I take a moment to relax and tell Kai about the flotilla, and home.

 **Kai's POV**

The third shift. Technically, this is when I should be sleeping in a sleeper pod; but instead I've decided to dedicate this time to studying. I can't get by in this new life of mine without knowing my history, so I've decided to take up a few human history texts on my omni-tool. So far I've hit the start of the twenty-second century. I hum to myself as I read, slowly studying the text on the holographic screen in front of me. I've never been too good at studying, but this is life and death for me. If I don't know my facts, people will get suspicious of me. Who knows what'll happen after that?

I shift on my seat. I've been studying in the mess, keeping to myself when anyone comes by. I can feel myself drifting, though. My body wants to sleep, but I at least want to finish this chapter. It's about the technological revolution during the start of the century, including experimenting with virtual reality and electronic personalities. I sigh and start to read out loud. "The Technological Revolution of 2107 came to a halt when Human Alliance scientist Dr. Nobunaga Reki's human-cybernetic based experiments were discovered and were labelled an "unethical science." I turn the page, then take a sip of my water before I read the 'The More You Know' box, further detailing the experiments. "Let's see… World renowned scientist Nobunaga Reki was placed under arrest and sentenced with life in prison when it was discovered that he was experimenting with human corpses and attempting to reanimate them. While initial reports file his experiments as unsuccessful, his final two experiments; codenamed Cyan and Violet. While Project Violet was apprehended and taken in by the Human Alliance, Project Cyan escaped." I pause. "While at first the nature of the material made these experiments classified, the details were released to the public in 2148 under the Free Sciences Act, which also allowed the study of Prothean technology and information as well as any details pertaining to it."

"Projects Violet and Cyan were twin experiments that focused on bringing electronic personalities to life," I continue to read out loud. "While their predecessors were met with failure, both Violet and Cyan were resounding successes, attaching the personalities of previously well known Vocaloid singers into the cryogenically frozen bodies of two willing test subjects. It has since been deemed impossible to bring a clinically dead body to life; as was the original goal of the previous experiments."

I take another sip of my water before I continue this assault of information, "Project Cyan was the attachment of electronic personality Hatsune Miku into the body of Goto Hanako by a culmination of "official" personalities created during Vocaloid concerts. Due to the escape of Project Cyan, further research into its personality and functions was lost."

"On the part of Project Violet, many of its culminated traits match the "official" descriptions," I can see the end in sight! "The personality of Motogami Shiro was forever lost, replaced by the electronic personality in its entirety, while Shiro's memories remained intact. Project Violet was deactivated soon after, while Project Cyan was never recovered. However, sightings of Project Cyan abounded in concerts, though ceased in less than two years of the experiments closing." I close the text and rest my face in my hands. Humanity actually managed to bring to life a real Hatsune Miku by using unethical testing. I could understand why this would be shocking and strange. To bring to life a program. Full life; with flesh and blood if what I just read could be trusted.

I did trust it, as well. What reason would history have to lie about that sort of thing? Hatsune Miku actually existed in the past. She's probably be an old woman by now. I chuckle to myself at the thought. I can't help but wonder where such a person is, if she's even still alive. It's an intriguing fact that I'd have never thought possible. It's incredibly hard to think on why someone would _want_ to do something like that, though. Just to prove that they can? Because they're a pervert? Who knows?

I find myself yawning, hardly noticing the person who's sat themselves across from me. When I finally do look up at them, I see that it's actually Kaidan Alenko sitting across from me. I blink at this. He and I don't really talk. It's not that I don't want to. It's just that… I really don't want to. He's kind of a dick to me.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping right about now?" he asks me. Damn, I can hear the bite in his voice. I raise my arm, and my omni-tool by extension.

"Just looking up some stuff about firearms," I sort of lie. "That, and military tactics through the ages. If I'm gonna be with you guys on the ground, then I wanna make sure I don't screw up." Kaidan seems surprised at this. He should be; I really lied, there. Well, not completely. I looked at those things, but it wasn't my focus.

"Really?" he seems perplexed. "When I spoke with the Commander, she had nothing but good things to say about your performance in live training."

"Training and reality can be two entirely different beasts," I reply to him. "You can train all you want to fly a ship, but as Joker probably can tell you, training to be the best and actually becoming the best can be very different." He subtly nods in agreement. The scathing tone in his voice seems to have lifted; if just slightly. "Besides, those were all one on one fights. We haven't gone over team composition, yet. I don't know how to work with any of you. Not yet, at least. I get the feeling Shepard's gonna split us into two groups on the ground. Cover more surface area and all that."

"Who do you think will lead the second team," he asks me. Oh? Feeling jealous of my ability, perhaps?

"Probably Garrus," I say offhandedly, making him shift in his seat. Kaidan seems confused at my answer. "Garrus has C-Sec training, and is used to making calls that most regular officers wouldn't have to. He's fully capable of being a leader."

"You don't think anything about yourself leading?" he follows up. I can't help but laugh at that.

"Me? A leader?" I roll my eyes and scoff. "Let me tell you something, pretty man. You set me in charge of anyone, and you'll get the most suicidal group of idiots on the face of the galaxy. Setting me in charge of people is just asking to promote chaos, destruction, and salt." He seems shocked at this answer. His eyes are widened, at least. "Listen, I know who I am. I know what I am and what I want to be. I also know my own limitations, alright? I can't lead. People don't respect me enough to follow my orders, and I'd always second guess myself, anyway." I chuckle. "Plus, I know what Shepard thinks. I'm a cocky, arrogant asshole who causes more trouble than I'm worth. In a way, she's right."

I take that moment to finish off my water and stand. "I'm going to catch a few winks of sleep," I tell Kaidan. "G'night, lad." As I walk past him to the sleeper pods, he catches my arm to stop me. I look down at him. He isn't looking at me. "Mm?"

"About the Commander," he starts, hesitating. "How do you feel about her?" Aww, does little Kaidan have a crush? He then turns to face me, his face set in stone.

"She's interesting," I tell him honestly. "I've really never met a woman quite like her. I'd like to be more to her, someday, but I hardly think that could happen. I'm destructive and like to do things my way. She doesn't need more stress on her shoulders." Kaidan seems to accept this answer, and lets me go. I continue to the pods without another word. While it's true that I'd like to get to know Shepard a bit more, I also know that I've burned a lot of bridges when it comes to her. She wouldn't respect me enough to fall for someone like me. I grunt as I crawl into the sleeper pod. It's strange to sleep nearly standing is what I think as I crawl in. It then closes, and begins to move, though. It shifts back, so I'm laying down flat. I blink, and chuckle. What a neat thing.

The following shift found me at breakfast, continuing my studies as I eat. I'm going on to the aftermaths of the end of the Technological Revolution, in which most types of technology seemed to stagnate. The only thing not affected was space travel, which at the time, it was believed had no unethical qualities. That, and the Human Alliance was fucking biased about space travel. The world was becoming too crowded, and they needed more space to live on. This time when someone sits across from me, I notice. Unlike last time, though, it isn't Kaidan. It's Shepard. She seems to have slept well, if her light smile is any indication.

"Good morning, Kai," she greets me, setting down her tray of food. "What is it that you're looking so intensely at your omni-tool for?"

"Just researching stuff," I tell her flippantly. She seems to accept this kind of answer from me. "What's on the agenda today?" Straight to business. She seems to like that.

"I've decided that you're capable enough that you don't need more firearms or strategy training," she tells me.

"Embarrassed that you kept losing?" I ask teasingly. She flushes and looks away at that. Hah! Nailed it!

"That isn't it," she manages to say as calmly as she can. Uh huh, _sure_ it isn't. "We're going to be arriving to the location where Dr. T'Soni is, and I'd like your advice on team composition." Me? My shock must have been evident, since Shepard laughed softly at me. How the hell could I help her? "While you _are_ infuriating, you do have a good mind for tactics. You'll just be advising me. Whether or not I use your suggestions is my choice." Ah, so I'm just giving advice. I can do that.

"I would set yourself with Tali and Kaidan," I say immediately. "Tali's general know-how with machines can be an asset to you, while Kaidan's supposed biotic prowess can give you good coverage in any situation." She nods at this, seemingly pondering my words. "Wrex, myself, and Ashley would work well together. As we've found, I prefer the sniper rifle. Wrex is good for those who get close, and Ashley is able to round us all out." I pause to give her time to think. "Garrus can go with whomever needs more support. Whoever is going on the supposedly more dangerous path. Extra firepower never hurt anyone." She hums in thought.

"Even without knowing the team, you can still pick apart everyone's specialties," she mumbles to herself. "How? How do you manage it all?" Because I'm a dimensional hopper from the distant past when your universe was nothing but a video game?

"Pure. Unadulterated. Badass," is my charming reply. She smirks and rolls her eyes at me. "It is, dammit!"

"Right," is her completely convincing reply. "Thanks for the insight. I'll keep these team setups in mind." Shepard stands up and gives me a slight smile. Is… she showing interest in me? I shake my head and chuckle. Nah, can't be. I'm not her type. I smile though. It seems like I'm gaining her trust.

A couple days later, I find myself with Garrus in the Hangar Bay. We were going over the different types of firearms, as well as how each one could be upgraded and adjusted. While most of the newer models prevented such upgrades, the main market weapons could be customized to fit different situations. While my normal loadout in First Person Shooters was a sniper rifle and a shotgun, I could carry more than two weapons here. So I went with a sniper rifle for picking people off, an assault rifle for coverage, and a pistol for everything else. I hum to myself as I go over all the modifications Garrus has acquired as he looks on.

"So, I hear Shepard came to you for team advice," he says, attempting to make small talk. I chuckle at that. "What's it like, simultaneously being respected and hated by that woman?"

"Not much different than being a Turian on Earth, I suppose," I shoot him a teasing look. Or a human on…"

"Palaven," he tells me. "I suppose you have a point there. Any human who steps foot on the Turian homeworld definitely 'has a quad on them', as Wrex would say." There's a lull in the discussion for a moment. "You're strange for a human. You don't seem to have any bias towards other races."

"Trying to figure me out, Dr. Garrus?" I smirk. "I'll tell you this; better men have tried. Even humans can't quite comprehend the magnificence that is _moi_." Garrus scoff at this.

"I'm just pointing out the obvious," he replies. "I don't care for figuring out other races. Especially energetic little bastards like yourself. If I tried that, I'm sure my head would explode."

"Hell, if your head exploded, then it'd be an upgrade on your part," I grin widely, letting him know I'm joking. Garrus rolls his eyes and shakes his head, though I can see hints of a smile on his face.

"Please. Out of all of us, you're the most likely to be caught in the explosion," he counters. "Hell, you'd probably even enjoy it, you little bastard. I wouldn't put it past you if _you_ were the one to cause it, either."

"Probably," I shrug and smile a bit. It's stupid banter, really, but I enjoy it anyway. I pause in my adjustments as I see Shepard heading our way.

"We'll be arriving in only a few hours," she tells us. "You'd better suit up and get ready." She turns to me. "I actually need you to sit this mission out, Kai. It turns out that the world we're going to is volcanic, and has extremely high temperatures. You'd be cooked alive without a suit." I shrug and sigh.

"Killjoy," I grumble, though Shepard smiles at me.

"I'll make it worth your while on the next mission," she tells me. "Don't worry. You'll be able to see some action soon enough." I smirk and make a suggestive wink at her.

"Aww, Commander," I tease her. "Are you making a pass at me?" She calls my bluff, though, and leans forward. While she's dressed in armor and I can't really see anything, the action still seems sensual with her.

"So what if I am, Seviceman?" she speaks lowly. "What are you going to do about it?"

"As interesting as it is seeing the two of you work out your stress," Garrus pushes the two of us apart as he speaks, "we still have a mission to get ready for. You two can make as many babies as you want, later." I laugh, while Shepard keeps a coy look on her face.

"You're just jealous that I've taken your favorite human's attention," Shepard teases the Turian. Garrus scoffs in reply. "But you're right. Garrus, make sure everyone down here is ready by the time we set off. We'll be doing a hot landing in the Mako." She turns to me. "Kai, you can take this time to speak with Dr. Chakwas. We need to do something about those glasses. Plus, I don't believe you've had a physical, yet." I grimace at the thought. "I'll tell her to be extra caring, just for you." She says it in such a suggestive way! Bad thoughts! Bad thoughts! Bad thoughts! Do _not_ thing of Shepard dressed in a nurse's outfit and asking if she can use my "thermometer"! Gaaaaah, it's too late!

"Sure, Shepard," is my cool reply as these thoughts are flying around in my head. She nods and crosses her arms.

"While we're on the ground, though," she tells me, "you have free reign of the ship. Try not to blow it up." I smirk.

"No promises."

I hummed after my physical with Dr. Chakwas, heading down to the Hangar Bay. It was a pretty short affair; just a regular checkup like back in my world. I hum to myself as I think about my old life. I've far since decided that this is my new reality. Mass Effect. How I got here, I haven't the slightest clue. Nor do I really care. As much as I hate to admit, I was mediocre at best back in my previous life. I didn't have a steady career, despite my several jobs. My little card game never took off the way I had hoped. It was just enough to scrape in a few extra bucks. Apparently deck based games had a reason they worked so well instead of set based card games. Once you have a set, you don't need to buy more. With deck based sleeves, you can cram as many random cards into them as you want, and the people will keep buying more until they have what they want. What cards I sold for $10 a set, they sold for $2.99 a sleeve. They only would need to buy mine once, but would buy the sleeves as many times as they had to.

I knew that would be a risk going in; I just didn't assume it would be that bad. I had little to no experience running a business, and I was too stubborn to look for help. Too prideful. It was _my_ creation. _My_ legacy. I wanted to do things _my_ way, even if I failed. If I failed, then I did it on _my_ terms. I was an idiot.

In many regards, I still am. I botched my initial meeting with Shepard and the rest of the crew. Made myself a strange weirdo who doesn't quite understand the dangers of this world. Then I fucked up by doing a complete 180 and giving out sage advice. I've become a walking contradiction in their eyes. That doesn't make things safe for me. That meant they were going to pay more attention to me. One who strikes from the shadows, my ass. But it was also a blessing in disguise. Those that saw me a fool, such as Wrex, would underestimate me. Even fools could have moments of wisdom, after all.

I arrived in the Hangar Bay in due time, looking around. It was so quiet and empty without the crew. Sure, there were one or two mechanics working on some broken panels or wires, but other people simply didn't want to hang around here for no reason. I sigh to myself, once more stepping into the elevator and heading up to the Crew Deck. It's so boring when everyone is on the mission and you get left behind. I decide to sit in the mess and commit to more research. Maybe look more into Project Cyan. Someone as prominent as Hatsune Miku wouldn't be able to just disappear without incredible work; especially at this age. She's have to have some sort of living to survive for so long.

Then again, maybe she's dead. It's not definite that she's survived this long, after all. If that's true, then all of my research for Project Cyan is for naught. Just the thought of something virtual being taken into the real world… It's mind boggling! If I could find out what happened to Project Cyan, then perhaps I could find out what happened with me being brought here. Even if it's science fiction, I still exist here. If a program can be brought into the real world, then it stands to reason that the real world can also be brought into a program.

As I sit at the table, I notice that the mess chef is cooking dinner. From the looks of it, it's chicken alfredo. As I watch him cook, I pull up my omni-tool and access the extranet. If I were a program turned mortal, what would I do first…? I become lost in my research, looking up sources and spottings from concerts to grocery stores to parks. Tales of a strange girl dancing with children at playgrounds and singing at karaoke bars. However, two years after the date of the experiments, she simply vanishes. No more sightings, no more stories, no more strange girl. For all intents and purposes, she simply disappears off the face of the galaxy. I frown in concentration. Surely she had to have left signs behind. If what happened with Project Violet is the same as what was happening to Project Cyan… Well, Hatsune Miku was always considered a people person. Maybe she just found new hotspots?

After several hours of searching, I only vaguely take into account that the ground team has returned from a collapsing Prothean ruin. From what I can assume, Liara T'Soni in tow. I can also assume that the Mako is gone, since I didn't hear them loading it back up. It makes a lot of noise. I was about to keep reading, but Joker's voice over the intercom interrupted that plan.

"Hey, Commander's expecting you in the briefing room, Kai," he announces to me. I sigh loudly, grumbling to myself.

"Got it, Joker," I reply after a moment before standing.

"Hey, don't kill the messenger, pal," he shoots at me. "You can go all dark and broody on the commander's ass. Just not with me. I never had that whole nihilistic phase, so I don't know if I can handle yours." I roll my eyes and smirk.

"Don't make me breathe on you and break your neck, clown," I shoot back, shaking my head. I head up to the command deck, humming to myself. I could hear the elevator coming up, so I hustle up the stairs to the briefing room. I want to be the first on there. Childish, but I don't mind at all. I reach the briefing room with time to spare and take my place to lean against one of the chairs surrounding the center. There were only six chairs, and I knew Shepard would probably be standing. Sure enough, the entire ground team enters the room only lightly singed, with a relatively young looking Asari woman in tow. She seems a bit flustered and recovering from shock, but otherwise fine. Shepard is the last to enter after everyone has taken their seats, and her eyes meet mine as she walks in. She gives me a light smile and appreciative nod. Did she take my team advice?

As soon as everyone is settled, Shepard opens her mouth to speak. She is, however, interrupted by Joker. "Too close, commander. Ten more seconds and we'd have been swimming in molten sulfur. The Normandy isn't equipped to land in exploding volcanos. They tend ta _fry_ our sensors and _melt_ our _hull_." I chuckle at his words. "Just for future reference." Liara seems indignant at those words, however.

"We almost died out there and your pilot is making jokes?" she seems perturbed by the fact. Shepard merely smiles at that, though.

"Joker's an ass," she explains. "Just try to ignore him." I cam't help the snickers that come from me. Wrex and Garrus both seem to be trying their best to hide grins as well. Liara, though, seems to have missed the joke.

"I see," she seems exhausted as she speaks. Her voice is melodic, though, and almost effortlessly graceful. "It must be a human trait, then. I apologize; I don't have a lot of experience dealing with your species, commander."

"We're all assholes," I chime in helpfully, getting a punch in the shoulder from Shepard. "I'm not lying." Liara shoots me a strange look.

"May I ask what this man is doing here?" she asks anyway. "I don't remember seeing him with your team."

"Kai's part of the ground team," Shepard explains. "He doesn't have a suit his size, so I wouldn't allow him on a volcanic planet." Liara seems to be ok with that. "But I have a question for you, Dr. T'Soni. What exactly did those Geth want with you? Do you know something about the Conduit?" I blink, feigning confusion.

"Conduit? Wait, what's that?" I ask. Shepard shrugs and we turn to Liara.

"I only know that the Conduit was somehow involved with the Prothean extinction," she tells us. "That area is my specialty when it comes to Prothean culture and history. I've spent the last fifty years studying the Protheans in order to discover what happened to them."

"I knew Asari are long lived, but how old are you?" Shepard asks. Liara takes this question with as much grace as she can. It seems even Asari find it rude to be asked their age.

"I am only one hundred and six years old," Liara tells us, seeming a bit bashful all of a sudden. "You may not be familiar with our culture, but I am considered very young in the eyes of my species."

"Looking good for a grandma," I whistle in appreciation, getting another punch in the shoulder from Shepard. "I'm not lying. But I'm guessing since you're so 'young', other scholars really don't want to listen to your theories and findings, right?"

"That is correct," she affirms, nodding. She seems surprised at my understanding. "I've tried to tell the others of my theories, but they consider my findings little more than the ravings of an adolescent." She sighs. "It almost looks like someone has tried to keep the existence of the Protheans a secret. With any other civilization, you would find art, cultural objects, texts, and ledgers. However, all that has been found are small pockets of data that seem to have been carefully hidden away; as well as the occasional decrepit ruins. It is like that someone came after the Protheans were gone, and cleansed the galaxy of clues to their existence."

"That a pretty big theory," Shepard admits. Liara holds up a hand to stop the commander's train of thought.

"That isn't the most stunning part, however," she tells us. "From what I've found, it seems that the Protheans were not the first galactic species to just suddenly vanish. This cycle of extinction came long before them."

"Got anything to prove it?" I ask. Liara has the decency to flush.

"Well, no," she says. "It's more a feeling from all of my research. A sense that the Protheans were not the first. I cannot point to a single example that would support my case, but I know I am right."

"So it's a gut feeling, then?" I suggest. "Hey, mine are always right. Maybe you've got some merit to you." I pause. "You still sound like a 'raving adolescent' though." I grunt when Shepard punches me again. "Ow! That one actually hurt!" Shepard ignores me and turns to Liara.

"Kai's an ass too. Ignore him if you can," she suggests. "As informative as this is, we still don't have any information about Saren or the Conduit. Either way, it might be best if we brought you along. You know a lot about the Protheans, so we could probably use your expertise later on."

"Thank you, commander," Liara stands as she speaks, "I can't think of anywhere safer than your ship at the moment. I don't doubt that Saren will try and make another move to take me."

"If she has combat training with her biotics, she'll be handy in a fight, too," Wrex suggests. Liara nods at this, before turning back to Shepard.

"I appreciate you having me, commander," Liara starts. "I'm very grateful that-" she huffs, before wavering a moment. "I apologize. I am afraid I am feeling a bit light headed.

"When was the last time you ate, or slept?" Kaidan asks her. He seems concerned. "Dr. Chakwas should take a look at you."

"I agree," Ashley speaks up, standing to help Liara support herself. "You should probably get some professional care, alright? Are we done here, commander?"

"I just need you to check in after you've seen the doctor," Shepard replies to Liara. "Everyone else, dismissed." I remain standing, though, as everyone files out of the room. Joker's voice appears over the intercom.

"Mission reports are filed, commander," he informs us. "Want me to patch you through to the council?" Shepard and I share a look. She seems almost pleading. Heh, wants my political expertise, huh? Or maybe just someone to intimidate them and set them on guard.

"Patch 'em through, Joker," she replied, centering herself in the circular room and facing the three holographic monitors. I stand beside and just slightly behind her, smirking. Joker announces he's set up the link. After a few moments, three flickering, orange figures blaze to life in front of us.

"We received your report, commander," the Asari councilor speaks first. "I hear that Dr. T'Soni is aboard your vessel?" Before Shepard can reply, the Turian councilor speaks.

"I assume you're taking the nessicery precautions," he speaks in an almost aggressive tone.

"Yep," I reply for Shepard. "We have her locked away in a nice sleeping pod and is getting a full examination by the ship's doctor for any explosives hidden inside her… azure." I can't believe I remembered the fact that azure is slang for the Asari vagina. I'm enjoying the fact that the Asari councilor is now shifting uncomfortably, though. "Dr. T'Soni is in good hands, Mr. Birdman." While my insult is only vaguely hidden, we both know he can't stoop down to my level lest he be compromised. I can see that he really wants to, though.

"What we do with Dr. T'Soni is not your concern," Shepard speaks after me. "Everything is under control. Dr. T'Soni has been nothing if not compliant."

"We acknowledge that, commander," the Asari councilor replies to her. She seems relieved that the topic of azure has been shifted from. "We are here to provide guidance, however, as well as advice. What you choose to do with it is all of your own."

"We're doing just fine," I speak up. "So go on back to your cushy penthouses and let the big kids do your dirty work, neh?" I cock my head to the side and give them the biggest shit eating grin I can muster. "Bye!"

"Wai-" the Asari tries to continue, but they just suddenly disappear. Joker's voice echoes on the intercom once more.

"Connections have been cut, commander," he sounds like he's trying not to laugh.

"Imagine that," Shepard replies, giving me a coy smile. "What a shame." She punches me in the shoulder again. "Ass," she tells me. "Looks like your recklessness has a place on this crew after all."

"I live to please, m'lady," I chuckle and give her an exaggerated bow. "So, tell me all about the mission," I tell her as we walk from the briefing room. She has a genuine smile on her face as she begins retelling what happened after they'd been hot dropped in the Mako. For a moment, I thought I felt her hand brush against mine.


	3. Chapter 2: Feros

**Chapter Two: Feros**

After the whole deal in the Artemis Tau system, I decided that we should head back to the Citadel. We needed to get Kai some armor; same with Liara. We also needed to get her some weapons. She seemed to be comfortable using an assault rifle or pistol. Basic weapons, but easily usable with her biotics. I glanced at the galaxy map console on the Command Deck, looking for our next location after our pit stop at the Citadel. I find that Feros would be a good place to look next, since it has breathable air and gravity similar to that on the ship. I take a moment to consider how many planets had similar gravitational pulls. At least ones that had been colonized, that is.

I then take a moment to think about Kai. After I'd explained what had happened on the mission, yesterday, he'd asked me a surprising question. If I was interested in him or not. Perhaps a few days earlier I'd have adamantly suggested that wasn't the case, but now I wasn't so sure. He was a troublemaker, yes, but that added a sort of charm to him. He didn't mean to cause harm, he just had no filter between his brain and his mouth. He spoke his thoughts before actually thinking them it seemed. To be honest, I didn't know how I felt about the young man. He was a civilian, officially. Even if we got close, our ideal lifestyles would be radically different. He would want to settle down eventually and live a normal civilian life. I felt most at home on a ship, travelling from place to place. I was also a soldier first, woman second. I was trained for combat. It's what I knew. I'd never be content with just a simple civilian lifestyle.

And yet, he was so adaptable. I couldn't help but wonder if he'd be able to adapt to the life I wanted. Shake my head in disgust. That was too selfish of me to consider. I could never ask anyone, least of all him, to give up his desires for me. No, I don't want to turn him into something he isn't. He isn't a hardened soldier. He's not a politician. He's not a fighter. At most he's a clever civilian with flashy tricks and a big mouth. I close my eyes. It doesn't mean that I like that, though. Even if he were interested in me, he deserved someone who could better suit his needs, desires, and goals. I open my eyes once more, staring straight ahead into the cockpit. I can see him leaning on Joker's chair, probably getting a mouthful from the pilot because of it. He's smiling though. It's the smile of someone that isn't quite in his own right mind, but I've recently begun to associate it with him. He's insane, but he means well.

I once more look over the galaxy map. His team positioning plans worked out. I'd had Garrus take his place in the roster, but the mission finished successfully with little difficulty until the end. Liara would be taking the place of Kaidan on my team. The human biotic would be joining Kai's team as soon as I got him armor. Kai's team. That's what I thought of it as. Despite never actually being on the ground, I still considered it his.

Somehow, through all of this, he still kept calm in the most stressful situations. He hadn't batted an eye during the mission in Artemis Tau, despite knowing that we'd all be risking our lives in the rescue operation. For someone as attached to others as he was, I'd have imagined he'd protest and demand that he join. Seeing him calmly accept was… disorienting. Still, it wasn't an unwelcome peace.

The more I interact with Kai, the more I realize he's far more complex than I'd originally given him credit for. The results for anyone by the name of ********* ******** or Kai that would indicate someone like him came up negative. In the case of his real name, there were no results whatsoever. Kaidan had stressed that we keep a close eye on Kai. I was inclined to agree. Especially after going through his Extranet searches. Historical documents of all types came up in his searches. If it had only been those of alien species I would have understood, but he was looking up human history that would have been taught to first grade students. He was acting like he wasn't even from this universe. So aloof and disjointed from the events happening around him. It's like he's watching us. Sizing us up. That makes me nervous; despite everything telling me that he won't harm us or our mission.

I look back up, and notice that Kai is looking back at me. He then turns his attention back to Joker, but that split second of observation makes me catch my breath. I couldn't clearly see his face, but it lacked the charming, childish look it normally had. I could tell that much. I shake my head of the thoughts. They're only going to make me mess up when something big happens. I decide to get an ETA on our arrival to the Citadel. Instead of paging Joker, I walk down the bridge to the cockpit. It would be a waste to just not talk to him while I'm on the CIC. I also wanted to see if I could decipher any more about Kai. Unfortunately, as soon as I started to approach the two, Kai made his way to leave. He gave me a curt nod before moving past me. I sighed.

"How's my ETA?" I asked my pilot, resting my hand on the back of his chair. I took care not to jostle it, though.

"Not long, commander," he told me. "We'll be coming out of jump in about ten minutes. Long enough to grab yourself a coffee and give Kai a big kiss." I felt my face heat up a bit, but I kept my calm demeanor.

"Are we sure you aren't stating your own wants, Joker?" I teased him. I could almost feel his eyes rolling.

"He's a good guy, don't get me wrong, but I don't think he's one to take it easy on a frail thing like me," he replied with a smirk. "But a big, strong girl like you? I'm sure you could handle him in my place." I smirked and shook my head, taking a moment to look at the corona veil outside the cockpit windows. After a brief minute I tapped Joker's chair twice and walked away. I could find more information about Kai from someone else. On the Citadel I would bring him with me and keep him close. I didn't trust him to stay out of trouble when I wasn't looking.

Sure enough, we arrived and docked at the Citadel within the half hour and I took most of the ground team offshore to get whatever business they needed done, finished. In that time, I decided to take Kai and Tali with me, since I wanted to keep an eye on Kai and I wanted Tali to become more accustomed to my presence. It didn't go as planned, though, as Tali and Kai trailed behind me, speaking animatedly towards one another. Those two were already close friends, and I could tell that Tali was interested in Kai. She leaned towards him during their conversations, and she seemed to have an energy that was vacant when he wasn't around. Unfortunately for her, he didn't seem to notice it at all. He was taking everything in stride, as if she were just a friend.

After taking the elevator down towards C-Sec, I decide that we would buy armor from the C-Sec Requisitions Officer. While the pay from the Alliance is minimal; enough to pay for any food, fuel and repairs the Normandy might need, it does little to fill my own pockets. The same is true from Spectre pay, it seems. I only recently received my first paycheck, which was a whopping forty thousand credits. It was enough to buy a decent house on Earth, apparently, but out here it meant nothing to anyone in the military. Weapons and mods would easily eat away at that money. Add in personal food items, armor, repairs, and other types of things, and that money would fly out the airlock faster than a rabid varren.

I only briefly take a moment to listen to what Kai and Tali are talking about as we descend the stairs to the Requisitions Office. From what I can tell, Tali is talking Kai's ears off about the Normandy's drive core. Tali had done the same to me the last time I talked to her, but I'd almost fallen asleep. Kai seems to be genuinely interested. It seems like he even understands what she's talking about.

As we arrive, the Turian behind the desk looks up and spots us. I notice a bit of tenseness in his shoulders, but otherwise he seems alright. I do notice his eyes linger on Tali for a moment, but a quick clearing of my throat brings his attention back to me. "Requisitions Officer Caslius," I greeted him. "I'd like to buy some armor for my crew member." I motion towards Kai with a quick nod. "As you can see, standard sized armor won't quite cut it. I need-"

"I know exactly what you need, Spectre," Caslius interrupts me, standing up. He walks over to one of the armor racks to the side of his office and pulls out a deep black suit of light armor with a light blue strip running down the outside of the left arm. It almost seems to be exactly Kai's size. "An order came in for it a few days ago. Under the table stuff, but a completely legitimate purchase. I was told that you'd be coming here eventually to get it." I blink at that. Nobody should have known I'd come here. Hell, _I_ didn't even know I'd be coming here!

"Can you trace whoever bought it?" I ask, a bit tense. Caslius shakes his head after handing the armor to Kai. It looked like Light Guardian Armor; covered in both padding and hard surface protection. Kai begins to slip the armor on as I give the Turian a disappointed look. He raises his hands in mock surrender.

"Look, all I know is that someone very high up with a lot of money specifically asked me to order armor like this for you," he tells me. "Wouldn't tell me who they were or why they were doing it. Just told me to get it done." I glance at Kai, who already has his new armor on. He's grinning and looking himself over. "I'll tell you what," I turn my attention back to the requisitions officer. "I'll try and look to see if I can find out who's so interested in you guys. Maybe the next time you come in I'll have something for you. Can I get you anything else, Spectre?"

"That'll be all," I wave him off dismissively. "Thanks, Caslius." I turn back to Kai and Tali. "Are you two ready to go?"

"Go where?" Kai asks me. "Are we getting other stuff too?" I nod and usher the two of them out in front of me. I give the Turian one last wave before we leave. "So what are we getting?"

"Just some extra things for you and Liara," I pull up my omni-tool, as well as the list of objects Liara had put a request for. Mainly just a few little trinkets to liven up the Normandy. I wasn't sure what Kai would want, but that was one of the many reasons he was here with me. I glanced at him, noticing his cheeky smile.

"Sounds great!"

 **Kai's POV**

Despite my smile, I'm a bit nervous on the inside. Someone knew we were coming. Someone knew the exact measurements of my armor and had ordered it for me. I'm a stranger to this universe. Nobody knows my sizes, my name, or anything else. But someone knows. Someone knows where I am and where I will be. It's… frightening. I can't help but look around, keeping my eyes alert for anything out of the ordinary. Every time I think I catch a stray shadow, it's gone. Every time I think I see a glitch in the Avina VI, it's corrected.

Someone's watching me. Stalking me. For what reason, I don't know. I've only been to Artemis Tau, and I wasn't even on the ground team! Who the fuck is interested in me already!? "Kai?" I feel a hand rest on my shoulder and jump. Oh, it's just Shepard. "You're alright?" There's more to that question than she's making evident. Her face doesn't beget her usual concern. It's almost as if she's… looking for something. Shit, she really is suspicious of me now, isn't she? Ok, time for the charming grin.

"I'm fine!" I cheer, raising my hands in a childish manner. "I'm just happy that someone's looking out for me, ya know?" Point; this person could have killed me but instead gave the money to protect me. This person is obviously a friend or someone who wants to pretend like they're a friend. That, and they're still watching me. I have no idea how, but I can feel their eyes on my back. Judging me. Observing me. I don't want to make this person an enemy.

"It is nice to know that someone is watching out for you," Tali agrees with me. "I'm glad that you're- you both decided I could come with you."

"Actually, it was just me that-" Shepard starts, but I grin and quickly cut her off.

"And we're glad to have you, Tali!" I grin widely and give the Quarian a big hug. I can feel her fidget in surprise and squeak when I hug her. "You're the most awesomest Quarian I've ever met! Well, the only one I've ever met. Eh, who cares!" I feel Shepard pull me off of the girl and I smile widely.

"Let's not make her pass out on us, Kai," she says that, but I can hear the smile on her voice even though I'm not looking. "Now, let's focus on those supplies. We need to be back at the Normandy in two hours." The next hour is a blur, though. Shopping with women has never been my favorite activity, but I can't argue that it's kinda fun. Shepard is a decent enough tease to make talking fun; she even suggested she could model some clothing for me. Well, as a joke, anyway. We were jabbing at each other how this was a date. Tali, though, seemed out of her comfort zone, so we rushed back to the Normandy after grabbing what we wanted. I stopped at the dock, however, and told them to go ahead of me. I grabbed the data pad I'd bought onshore and typed a small message onto it. _Thank you_ it said. I then left it on the dock before heading onto the ship. As I stepped into the decontamination chamber, I turned around. Just as the doors closed, I thought I saw the pad shimmer and disappear.

The Normandy was quiet as we pulled away from the Citadel. From what I could tell, we were headed out to Feros to see what was going on with… something. I really didn't know. Supposedly there was a distress call coming from there and it was important and some such or whatever. I really don't know. All I know is we have to go there because reasons. I really suck at remembering this shit.

Inside, I find myself passing by Shepard as she directs a new path to Feros. I hear over the intercom from Joker that it will only take two days of travel. To be honest, two days doesn't seem like a lot of time, anymore. Maybe a long time ago it would have lasted forever for me, but on the Normandy is seems to pass pretty quickly. I head down to the mess, feeling a bit hungry. Down here I can see both Liara and Ashley eating and talking. I grab some bread, ham, and cheddar cheese and make myself a sandwich before I sit down beside them. "Yo," I smile at them, raising my hand in greeting.

"Hey, Kai," Ashley greets me back while Liara gives me a nod of acknowledgement. "Anyways, you said that the Protheans had their own myths and legends?" Ashley asks Liara, curious. The Asari maiden nods in return.

"Yes," she replies. "For example, the Protheans believed that the afterlife was a long road with many branching side roads. The spirits of the lost would try and mislead you, turning you into one of them. Their belief of Nirvana was a great tower at the end of the road."

"But wait," Ashley interrupts her, "If you can see the tower, how can you get lost? Why even listen to the lost spirits?" I can see the hints of a smile on Liara's face.

"The spirits would offer you shortcuts and ways to reach Nirvana without finding the entrance to the tower," Liara explains. "They do this to deceive the lazy and the ill prepared. When a Prothean is buried, they were laid with weapons and maps to the tower from several different points they would enter the afterlife." I blink at this.

"Wait," I raise my hand, grabbing both of their attention. "What exactly is in the tower? Why's it so important?"

"A fair question," the blue lady tells me. "The tower itself is the gateway to either their version of heaven, or into rebirth. Reincarnation." I seem to make a strange look at this, and she laughs. "It must seem strange to us, but the Protheans were not unintelligent. I believe that their depiction of the afterlife had at least small facets of truth." I hum and sit back in my chair before I take a bight of my sandwich. I think a moment before I turn to Liara.

"So what started your interest in the Protheans?" I ask her, making her tilt her head. She seemed surprised at my question. "You seem to be really invested in them. Surely there must be other fields of archeology you could have delved into?" My face is a bit impassive, and Ashley seems to be surprised that I can be so serious.

"There is," she tells me. "Many human and Salarian histories do interest me, but the Protheans are the most mysterious. There's so much that cannot be found about them. Much of their artifacts provide information about military tactics and weaponry, with very few describing their culture as a whole."

"What about Asari history?" I ask curiously. She smiles at that, but just faintly.

"Asari history isn't quite as old as humans would see it," she tells me. "Remember, our lifespans are measured in the centuries unlike you short lived species. Many of our Matriarchs remember what humans would consider ancient history." She pauses to take a bite of the strange dish in front of her. It looks like a salad, but has a strange powder covering it. I also don't recognize the type of plant she's eating.

"How about you?" I ask her. "What do you plan on doing with your life? I wouldn't imagine that you'd only be interested in archeology." She pauses at this, thinking. "Don't you have any other interests?"

"Well, I have not honestly thought about it," she tells me. "I would like to devote my time learning more about the Protheans at the moment. I can decide what I will do after then the time comes." I nod my head in understanding. "And you, Kai? When this is all finished, how do you plan on continuing my life?"

"Maybe be a writer," I tell her. "People back home saw me as a boring person with no drive or passion. I think I'll try and actually do something with my life, ya know?"

"Boring?" Ashley gives me a knowing smirk. "You're the furthest thing from boring around here! How many times have you painted a monocle and mustache on Garrus' face in the last week while he was sleeping?"

"Just once," I take another bite of my sandwich, but she gives me a cocked eyebrow and deadpan stare. "Fine, twice." The stare continues. "Ok, five times, sue me!" I raise my hands in the air as she laughs. I can tell Liara is trying to hide a smile, but she's failing horribly at it. I smile and roll my eyes at them. "Don't tell me that you didn't swap my _brocc_ -cola with sweet tea, Ash."

"Me?" she has the damn gall to act innocent with her wide eyes and surprised tone. "I would never!" I stand up and point an accusing finger at the woman trying not to laugh. "I'm the perfect epitome of a proper soldier!"

"Bullshit!" I shout, lifting one foot to stand on the chair. "You totally fucked with my drink!" I clench my teeth and grip my hands into loose fists. "You _don't_ mess with a man's drink, Ash! It's evil!"

"I am inclined to believe that Ashley is completely innocent," Liara chimes in. I hang my head and arms and groan.

"You women are so mean…" I whine.

"Are you two making Kai depressed?" I hear Shepard from behind me with a bemused tone. "If so, then I'd like to join in."

"You guys suck," I whine again. "Each and everyone one of you can suck a varren dick."

"Now that's just being mean, Kai," I can hear the smile on Shepard's voice as she rests her hand on my shoulder. "Actually, do you two mind if I steal him, for a moment?" Liara and Ashley both shake their heads, and I stand back up on the floor.

"What'cha need, Shep?" I ask her as we head to her quarters. It's a pretty small room, but it's a room regardless. She sits at her desk and I pull up a second chair as she pulls out a datapad. On it is a message.

"Read this," she hands it to me, and I skim over it. The pad has details about some company that's suddenly gone dark on Feros. Supposedly the Geth have recently moved in there, and we're going in to investigate. I hum to myself for a moment before handing the pad back to Shepard. "What do you make of it?" I can see that she's observing me; looking for something.

"Well, it seems like a basic distress call," I say. Her face doesn't change, so I continue. "Though I have to wonder why the Geth are interested in Feros. There isn't much there for them, right? It's mostly just a bunch of ruins, from what I hear." Shepard still remains impassive, but nods.

"It is," she affirms my suspicions. "I want to know what you think they're after."

"Well… obviously this Saren guy wants something they have, there," I think out loud. "Probably something to help him find the Conduit. You said he probably used the beacon that you found on Eden Prime, right?" She nods, the gears spinning in her head. "Well, Liara told you that you have to be able to think like a Prothean to make sense of it, so maybe he found something there to help? A relic or something?"

"That's possible," she mumbles. "It could be another beacon. Something with special information. Though why would they stay in the same area for so long?"

"Maybe they're having trouble finding it," I offer. She hums in thought. "They're looking around. They know that it's there, but just not where it is, exactly." I pause. "Or maybe they've already found it, and are sticking around because they know we're gonna go for it too." Shepard scoffs.

"Ironic how we'd have only found it because they decided to stick around," she tells me. "Whatever it is, I want you and your team to stay on the Normandy until we have a better scope of what's going on. Do you have the new compositions?" I nod and pull up my omni-tool, sending her the two lists.

"I do," I tell her. "On your team will be you, Liara, Tali, and Garrus. On my team will be me, Wrex, Ash, and Kaidan." I wait for her to pull up the list. "Your team is full of specialists that can get any job done quickly and efficiently. I'd say my team is more of a strike team; more combat focused. We can obviously switch members as needed, but for the most part this will be the basic lineup." I speak as if talking about a video game roster, which is sort of the case. She seems to understand my reasoning, though.

"This seems good," she tells me. "Though you don't have anyone particularly good at hacking. What if you need to draw information or open a heavy door?"

"Omnigel. Krogan," is all I say. Shepard thinks a moment and shrugs.

"Fair enough," she says, smiling a bit. By the look in her eyes, I can see that I passed whatever test she had made for me. "Take the next two days off, serviceman. I don't think there's much you can do aside from polishing your weaponry." She blinks. "Though the next time we go to the Citadel, I think we need to do something about those glasses. They can be a hindrance on the battlefield." I chuckle nervously and look away.

"Let's leave the glasses where they are for now…" I tell her. I'm a bit squeamish about _anything_ touching my eyes. "So, a couple days off, huh? And what will _you_ be doing, Fire Flower?" I give her a teasing wink. Shepard stands and leans over, looking me in the eyes.

"Just going through the paperwork to give people their salary as well as the finances of this entire operation," she whispers to me, her eyes half-lidded. Is it wrong to say that it's sexy when she talks business? "What are your plans, Little Man?" Oh she did not just go there.

"Maybe I'll stick here and bug you, Gigantor," I suggest with a smirk. Shepard simply laughs and sits back down at her desk. "Show me about these papers. Maybe I'll learn something." I lean over the desk where she pulls out a datapad from one of the drawers. I make a mental note that "paperwork" equals not actual paper. In fact, I haven't seen a lick of actual paper during my entire time in this universe. I inwardly sigh. I'll miss actual books and posters.

"First, I have to look over the weekly salary for each crew member as well as their working hours," Shepard starts. I blink and look closely at the charts in front of us while she explains things to me. I smile softly, though. I feel at peace, here.

Two days later finds us landing on Feros. As Shepard ordered, Wrex, Ash, Kaidan and I stay aboard the Normandy. We're to stay here until she has further details about what's going on. If I remember correctly, there's a giant plant thing under Zhu's Hope that can control people, and that's where we'll get the key to find the Conduit. OR at least understand what Shepard's visions are. As of now, my team is sitting in the mess hall, just waiting for Shepard's orders. She'd gone in with her team an hour before, and still no word from her.

"So," I break the silence between all of us. "You guys are going to support me on this, right?" It had been abundantly clear that they didn't want me as a leader. Wrex had even threatened to shoot me. "I can't have a team falling in on itself because of disagreements on who should lead it."

"Of course you'd say something like that," Wrex grumbles, baring his teeth at me. "Little green pyjak wouldn't know how to lead a team if his life depended on it. I'm not risking my hide to save you when you get in over your head." He shifts in his seat.

"Now guys, like it or not, Shepard instructed us that Kai was-" God bless her, Ashley tried to stick up for me.

"Shepard isn't here," Wrex interrupts her. "And I don't trust that woman further than she can throw me. You want my loyalty, you earn it." He stands and thunders off. From the looks of it, he seems to be heading upstairs. Kaidan stands as well, grabbing his assault rifle from the table.

"I agree with the Krogan," he says, "I don't think being led by a civilian is a good idea. The commander really messed up on this one." Like that, he also leaves, leaving Ash and myself behind. I give her a wary look.

"You gonna leave too?" I ask her. She gives me a patronizing smile, but stands anyway.

"It would be better if you just let us do all the work," she tells me. "You're still inexperienced in actual firefights. Just hang back and let the rest of us take care of things, ok?" She leaves me back without me getting a chance to respond, and I sigh. This wasn't how things were supposed to go.

I grunt and head to the medbay, where Dr. Chakwas seems to be going over medical texts. _Turian Physiology and Health_ is what the text is titled. "Yo," I greet her sullenly. Chakwas spins in her chair to face me, a soft smile on her face.

"It's a rare day when you come to visit me, Kai," she tells me. "I was almost afraid that I'd been neglected in favor of the commander." I shrug and offer the docter the best cheeky smile I can muster.

"What can I say?" I chuckle. "I like older women, but Shep's something else. If she wasn't maybe I'd even chase after you." Chakwas rolls her eyes, but the smile on her face is evident.

"Please, teasing an old woman like that is uncouth," she tells me. "But I feel like you aren't here just to flirt with the elderly. What's on your mind, Kai?" She crosses her legs and rests her hands on her lap, a professional expression on her face. Am I that easy for her to read? I lean against the door and chuckle, however.

"You caught me," I tell her. "I was just wondering about my position." She cocks an eyebrow at this, but is otherwise impassive. She waits for me to continue. "I'm just a civilian. Why do you think that Shep has me in command of my own half of the ground team? It's… not exactly easy when my team expects me to be dead weight."

"You've never had burdens like leadership on your shoulders before?" she observes. I shake my head.

"It's not that," I tell her. "I've led people before and I've commanded entire teams during games, but this is different. This is actual battle. What makes me so qualified to lead a team? Shouldn't someone like Wrex or Garrus be doing this? They have _way_ more experience than me!" Chakwas is silent for a moment, but doesn't take her eyes off of me. It's a few minutes before she speaks.

"You're not giving yourself enough credit, Kai," she tells me. I frown at the response I was given. "Let me explain. When the commander and I were teaching you, you had a lot of difficulty. You completely forgot certain subjects and you took forever to memorize them. However, those were all theoretical topics that you had difficulty. Words and knowledge and equations; they meant nothing to you."

"What's your point, old lady?" I ask, teasing her a bit. Chakwas doesn't seem to take offense. "Sounds like you're just telling me what I already know."

"You had no trouble when it came to active subjects, though," she tells me. "Culture, politics, using an omni-tool. You excelled in anything practical. Anything that can concretely be used. Tell me, what gender are the Asari? Male or female?"

"Neither," I tell her instantly. "Asari don't typically associate with either gender, but only do so to make it easier for other species to grasp what they are. They're closer to a plant, really. Both asexual and sexual in reproductive nature. What's that got to do with anything, doc?"

"You understood that like the back of your hand because it can be used to understand another species," she told me. "Your skills lie in practicality. You can understand the Asari better than most because you _know_ that they can't be classified as either male or female. Tell me, if an enemy Geth were holding one of your squad mates, Kaidan for example, hostage, what would you do? Say that the Geth has a backup squad of about four, all ready to fire."

"Geth can't be negotiated with, so I'd have to take instant action," I tell her, focusing. "First I'd have Wrex draw their attention. Probably have him charge in guns blazing so the Geth squad all aim at him. Then, Kaidan breaks free with his biotics and I snipe the leader. Kaidan deals with it up close if it's still functional as Ashley supports Wrex as he retreats behind cover to tend to any wounds. Kaidan, Ash and I then clean house."

"And when backup arrives? A dropship, perhaps."

"We take it slow," I say. "We don't have anyone to hack the dropship, so we stay behind cover for the moment. Wrex gets in as close at he can to weaken their defenses while Ash, Kaidan and I cover him. I can snipe any priority targets that get close to him while Kaidan uses his biotics to keep them back."

"That," she points to me, "is why Shepard chose you. You can adapt to any situation on the fly and have the mind of a good leader. While Wrex might take a few injuries, Krogan are naturally resilient. You'll have to know when to pull him back." I nod and cross my arms. "Don't underestimate yourself, Kai. You have a good head on your shoulders, and I feel that you have a good heart as well. Things will work out." I nod and hum to myself in thought.

 _"_ _This is Shepard to Normandy ground party,"_ my omni-tool comes to life. I hold it up and look down at the face of Shepard. _"Good, Kai. We've reached Zhu's Hope and I have a mission for you."_

"Just name it, Shep," I reply. She smiles at me.

 _"_ _Apparently there's a Geth occupation of the ExoGeni offices further north,"_ she informs me. _"We can find valuable information there about what Saren was after, so I want you and your team to extract it."_

"What about you?" I ask.

 _"_ _We also received a distress signal a few kilos south,"_ she continues. _"My team and I will extract the target. I'll contact you afterwards. Consider this your trial by fire, Kai. Good luck. Shepard out."_ I nod and glance at Chakwas. She smiles and makes a shooing motion with her hands.

"Go and prove me right," she tells me. I give her a mock salute and leave the medbay. I then put on my helmet from the table and turn on my comms. "Kai to ground team, Kai to ground team. Please respond."

 _"_ _I'm here,"_ Ash answers immediately.

 _"_ _So am I,"_ Kaidan follows her up. I wait for Wrex.

"Wrex?"

 _"_ _I'm here,"_ his gruff voice responds. _"We doing anything yet? I'm sick of sitting around and doing nothing."_

"Shep just called in and gave us a mission," I tell them. "We're going to infiltrate an office building, clear it out, and look for anything of interest. Meet me at the airlock in less than a minute." The comms are silent for a moment.

 _"_ _I guess it's better than nothing,"_ Wrex growls. I sigh. This is gonna be a long mission.

 **Shepard's POV**

"Tali, open up these doors," I order the Quarian. She nods and hacks into the system. Within seconds, the doors are open to the sky road outside. They look old and decrepit now, but once they must have been beautiful. "Good job." I pat her shoulder before I glance at the Mako behind us in the garage. Liara and Garrus are already loading up, and Tali and I go to do the same. Supposedly the distress call is in a building south of us, but it's slightly weak. Part of me wonders why nobody from Zhu's Hope has gone to help them. Then again, maybe their radios are just busted. Either way, it's not my concern. My concern is rescuing whoever's issued the distress call.

I sigh as I crawl into the driver's seat. I hope I didn't just send Kai onto a suicide mission. He and Wrex don't exactly get along, and Kaidan seems to dislike the guy for some reason.

I start to drive out on the sky road. It's oddly quiet, with the Geth surprisingly absent. I guess they were spending more of their time protecting their own ship than bothering with us. It's both a blessing and a curse. I'd hoped some Geth would face us, if only to make it easier on Kai's mission. Speaking of…

"This is Shepard to Kai," I decide to comm him just to make sure things are running smoothly. "Come in."

 _"_ _Kai here,"_ he responds. _"We're making our way down to the garage where there's a Mako waiting for us. So far, decent progress."_ Hoes doesn't seem so sure of himself. I smile softly, as if he could see me.

"Just relax, Little Man," I tell him. "Keep in comm contact and let me know if anything happens. You'll do fine, though."

 _"_ _Copy that,"_ he tells me. _"Talk to you later, Shep."_ I roll my eyes at the casual dismissal. Even when nervous…

"Do you truly believe he will be fine?" Liara asks, a bit concerned. "I can't help but be worried that his inexperience will lead to disaster."

"The kid'll be fine," Garrus assures her. "If anyone can kick some ass, it's him. He even beat Shepard here in a firefight not once, but twice."

"Garrus?"

"Yeah, boss?"

"I have a shotgun."

"I'll be quiet." I smile to myself, and despite Tali being motionless beside me, I can tell that she's enjoying the banter.

The drive isn't fast, but it's certainly boring. There isn't much to really impede us aside from a few fallen structures. I can see on the radar that we're getting closer to the distress beacon, and I slow the Mako down. It's coming from the building in front of us. I park the Mako inside, and the team and I step outside. I grab my shotgun from my waist, though. I don't want to be taken by surprise. Tali does the same with her own shotgun, while Garrus draws his sniper rifle and Liara decides to use an assault rifle.

"Be careful," I tell them. "Even if the Geth are focused on Kai's team, there can still be other things waiting for us here. I doubt the beacon would have been set off if it were safe." I move forward through the building, moving towards the location where the beacon was coming from. It's only a few floors above us, but the building is pretty big. I can't help but feel like something is wrong.

 _"_ _This is Kai to Shepard,"_ my comm comes to life. _"We've come across some ExoGeni employees and are now advancing on the office buildings. Will contact when we have more information."_

"Copy that," I respond. I turn to the rest of my team. "Just got news from Kai. All seems to be well so far." I can see the pressure being lifted from Tali's shoulders and smile. Sorry Tali, but I'm interested in him too. I'm not going to give up that easily.

As we approach the distress beacon, I can see a fire up ahead. There's a few crates by it, as well as what looks like cooked varren on a spit over the fire. It looks desolate, though. "Spread out," I tell everyone. I move towards the crates, as well as keep an eye on the ground. "Doesn't look like there's any signs of struggle," I announce.

"The meat on the spit's still raw," Garrus observes. "Someone was just here. Might have gone out to do something." I nod and look through the crates.

"There's a lot of supplies in here. Meat, vegetables, some rags that can be used to create shelter…" I trail off. "It doesn't seem like whoever was here has been here for long. Maybe a few days at most."

"Who the bloody hell are you lot?" an unfamiliar voice echoes through the open room. I turn to face it, and find myself facing a man who's in his upper twenties. He's wearing rectangular glasses, and has slightly messy auburn hair. "Well? Go on then. Who are you? And what's with the pointy bloke?"

"I'm Commander Shepard," I introduce myself, stepping forward. For some reason, the guy is dressed in light white clothing, the kind you'd see on businessmen in the past. He's just an inch shorter than me, though, and he takes a step back as I approach him. "We received your distress beacon and are here to rescue you." The man seems genuinely surprised at this.

"What, already?" he asks. He motions between all of us with his hand. "Doesn't it normally take weeks, nearly months for recue to come? That's how all you military types run, yeah?"

"We're the best of the best," Garrus tells him. "We don't just sit around when we get a distress call." The man paces a moment before he turns to me.

"Shepard, was it?" he asks. "Tell me, have you ever heard of the Abstergo company?" I tilt my head and give him a confused look. "I'll take that as a no," he sighs. "Well, chaps, I do believe that I'm nowhere near home."

"Where are you from?" Tali asks. The man glances at her, and shakes his head.

"Nowhere you'd know of," he still wants to be difficult? "Anyways, if you'd kindly take me off this God forsaken rock, I'd be ever grateful." I sigh and nod. Maybe Kai will have more luck with this guy. He's good at annoying people into talking.

"What's your name?" I ask him. He offers me his hand, which I shake.

"Shaun. Shaun Hastings."

 **Kai's POV**

"This wasn't the plan!" I scream as we fight our way back to Zhu's Hope. We'd fucked up the Geth ship and sent it plummeting to the ground. We'd then escorted the girl trapped in the office building back to her mom. Unfortunately, the Geth decided they didn't want us driving anymore, so they blew up our Mako. Now, we're trying to hustle back to Zhu's Hope since the Thorian is there, and it's controlling the people. Fuck, was the sky road always this long!?

"Flank left!" I order. There's a colossus and several hunters blocking our way, alongside the standard Geth Troopers. I growl in frustration as Wrex charges on ahead against my orders. Ash stays back, but Kaidan rushes in with Wrex. "Guys, I said flank left! You're too exposed!"

 _"_ _I'm not taking battle advice from a greenhorn who's never fought a war before!"_ Wrex roars back through the comms. I can see him tearing through the Geth Troopers, but he has the Colossus' attention.

"Wrex, get back!" I can see the Colossus about to fire. It's aiming right at the Krogan! "Kaidan, cover Wrex! He's about to-"

 _"_ _We can handle this, serviceman,"_ Kaidan interrupts me. I grunt and snipe off a Geth Sniper in the distance that was targeting Kaidan.

"Dammit!" I curse, taking cover as I hear the Colossus fire. Wrex bellows with rage in the comms, but he's got to be hurting after that blast.

 _"_ _Come on you pyjaks, is that all you got!?"_ he roars with fury. I peek back out as Ashley lays out suppressing fire. Wrex is on the ground, taking cover behind a pipe while Kaidan is behind a different pipe. The Geth are almost on top of them! I growl and take aim, sniping another Geth Trooper before it can reach Kaidan. C'mon, the garage door is _right over there_! We can do this! I glare at the Colossus, though. That thing is too tough to take down alone.

"Wrex, clean house and then pull back when-"

 _"_ _I said I'm not taking orders from a quadless little human like you!"_ he interrupts me. I curse and turn to Ashley. She nods.

 _"_ _What do you need, boss?"_ she asks me. I blink and smile a bit. At least she was willing to support me. She doesn't seem sure, though.

"Cover them and myself. I'm going to try and get closer," I tell her. "We have to either work together to clean house then go for the big guy, or take down the Colossus now." She nods. I start to vault over cover, but then the Colossus fires again. Wrex is hit directly, and Kaidan is sent skittering across the road, almost falling off the edge. "Guys, you have to listen to me!" I can see Wrex trying to get up, but the Colossus is charging another shot. It sees an easy target. "Gunnery Chief, cover me!"

"Yes sir!" Ashley replies, immediately firing out rounds on the oncoming Geth. I vault over the pipe I was taking cover behind and run towards Wrex. I'm not letting him die here! I reach him just as the Colossus fires. I don't have time to move him! I roar with defiance as I step in front of him, spreading my arms and taking the blast for the Krogan behind me. Pain fills my senses as I'm struck. I can hear someone screaming, and I'm not sure if it's me or someone else. Am I… on the ground? No, I'm still standing? Nope, I'm definitely on the ground. Fuck… My entire body feels like it's on fire…

 _"_ _Get up you little shit!"_ I hear Wrex shout in my ears. But… I'm so tired… It really hurts… _"I said get up! We don't have time for you to take a nap!"_ My eyes fly open. I need to get up. I refuse to give up here! I can see that I'm behind another pipe, with Wrex injecting medigel into me. Ow! Fucking needles! Kaidan and Ash are both beside us, shooting at something before taking cover.

 _"_ _Gutsy move, kid_ ," Kaidan tells me after taking cover. I groan in response.

 _"_ _Guess you saved my hide,"_ Wrex grumbles. _"My way doesn't work, I guess."_

"You're too exposed when you attack," I grunt. "If these guys were just Troopers, you'd be fine. With a Colossus, it'll fuck you up in one shot." I sit up and peer over the cover. Most of the Geth are down. Only the really tough are still standing. "It's too late to flank left. We have to take out all the small fries and then beat the ever loving shit out of that Colossus." I grab my sniper rifle from my back and take aim.

 _"_ _Just tell us what to do, boss,"_ Ash tells me. I nod and snipe one of the Hunters.

"First, pick off the small guys," I tell them. "Keep an eye on the Colossus though. That bastard will try and take any hit it can get." I pause as another Hunter goes down. "Tali told me that Geth become smarter in larger groups. That Colossus is directing the smaller Geth in formations against us. However, if we take away its minions, it processing power becomes weaker, and it won't be able to compute more than single-minded tactics."

 _"_ _So we dumb it down with the more Geth we kill?"_ Kaidan asks me. I nod. _"Sound like that could work. What do you need me to do?"_

"If you can, Kaidan, Wrex, send the Geth near the side of the road off," I smirk. "Ash, you and I are gonna take down anything that gets close to us or aren't near the side of the road. After you two finish throwing those Geth off, focus on the Colossus. Wear down its shields as much as you can." Wrex and Kaidan both nod and move to the right of the pipe while Ash and I take positions on the left side. She peppers down close by Geth with her assault rifle while I take the further off ones with my sniper rifle.

 _"_ _This is Shepard to Kai,"_ I hear Shepard contact me on the comms. I sigh and connect.

"Kai to Shepard. A bit busy here, Fire Flower, so speak quickly." There's a pause while she considers my words.

 _"_ _We've extracted the one with the distress beacon and are en route to the Normandy."_

"Good. Catch ya later, commander." I hand up the comm channel and continue shooting the last few Geth. Kaidan and Wrex are already firing on the Colossus, but I can see it still has shields up. "Light them up, assholes!" I let out a loud yell as I unleash round after round into the Colossus' head. It isn't moving much, and doesn't know who to attack. I grin as the Geth's shields fizzle out. "Give 'em hell!"

 _"_ _Die, you dirty Geth bastard!"_ Kaidan screams over the comms. After what seems like an hour, the Geth's systems final shut down, and it falls to its knees. I pant, vaulting over the pipe. _"We got it!"_

"No time to celebrate, a-holes!" I shouted at them. "We still have to get to Zhu's Hope!" I sprint down the sky road with the rest of my team in tow. I can see zombies gathering outside the colony. It seems like the Thorian knows we're coming for it. I growl. To be controlled like that against your will… It's disgusting! Nobody should be controlled in such a way. That makes the Reapers even more of villains to me. I'll definitely help Shep stop them!

"Incoming," I announce as we approach the colony garage doors. "The zombies are of no consequence, but don't shoot the civvies. Get your Weedkiller Bombs ready!" I smirk at the nickname I gave the anti-Thorian grenades. "Fire!" I've since had everyone swap into their assault rifles, and we unleash hell on the zombies outside. Grin and open the garage door. There are a few civvies up on the platform above the garage, but the actual road is covered in zombies. I really wish I had a flamethrower right now.

 _"_ _Do these fuckers ever stop coming!?"_ Ash shouts beside me as we once more pelt through the horde. I grumble as the controlled civilians take potshots at us. While they aren't really doing much damage to our shields, it's still annoying. I grunt and run up the stairs past the remaining zombies and throw a Weedkiller Bomb at the colonists. Immediately after the explosion, they fall like ragdolls to the floor.

"That's a good thing, right?" I ask. Kaidan pats me on the back as he comes up.

 _"_ _They're just sleeping,"_ he tells me. I nod.

"Right, let's get moving, then." I announce. "Stay frosty, guys." I hear grunts of acknowledgement.

 _"_ _Not a bad plan back there, kid,"_ Wrex grumbles as we advance. _"And thanks, for taking the hit for me."_ I nod, but ignore him for now. We have a mission to see through. We arrive at the colony, and I sigh as there are a bunch of zombies mixed in with the colonists. I blink and glance at the bomb in my hands, then throw it in the middle of all of them. As soon as it explodes, the zombies crumble to dust and the colonists ate knocked out. Excellent…

"Fire in the hole!" I grin as I hold my grenade launcher, indiscriminately firing upon the waves and waves of zombies as well as the colonists with the anti-Thorian gas bombs. I can feel the stares of my squadmates on my back as I let loose. "Yippie kay yay, motherfuckers! Yatatatatatatatata!" I grin as the last of the colonists goes to take a nap. According to the info in the offices, the Thorian is hidden under one of these pipes. I hum and head for the controls, but one more guy appears around the corner with a gun. I blink. Shit, that weapon can bust through shields! I recognize the mod piece at the end of the barrel!

"It wants me to stop you…" he groans. "It wants me to kill you…" I raise my weapon at him.

"Put the gun down, sir!" I order him. He shakes his head, slowly walking towards us. I glance at my own weapon. I'm out of grenades. Damn, if only I hadn't used them all. Maybe I can bluff him. "Sir, put the damn weapon down!"

"I won't let it!" Before I can react, the man aims up his jaw and fires. I lurch forward, and I can feel my heart skip a beat in my chest. He… Did he just… I run towards him and kneel by him. I try and feel for a pulse, but… Fuck… I feel a hand rest on my shoulder.

 _"_ _He made his choice,"_ Kaidan tells me, but I can't stop looking at the pained expression on this guy's face. He looks terrified… _"C'mon. Let's get the job done so this doesn't happen to other people."_ He probably had loved ones, still… He just… he didn't have to. We could have found a way… He shouldn't have had to die! I was an idiot! Why did I use all those gas grenades!?

"Fuck!" I growl and punch the ground. "Fuck! I'm an idiot!"

 _"_ _Get yourself together, you little quadless pyjak_ ," Wrex growls. _"If you stop now, then that human died for nothing. Are you going to let that happen?"_ I sigh and slowly stand back up. He's right. I couldn't have stopped it.

"Let's take this fucker down," I growl, scowling as I access the crane controls. I lift up the pipe, and there's a stairwell leading down to wherever the Thorian is. I'm going to burn it. I'm going to fuck it up. I'm going to kill it for _daring_ to make a man commit suicide just so we could stop it. It deserves to die.

 **Shepard's POV**

"Kai, come in," I try and call him on the comms, but still nothing. We made it to the Normandy safely, but Joker had been complaining midway through the way back that something was clawing at the doors. When we came back, we found some sort of mindless zombie type creatures trying to get in. My team and I quickly put them down, but that only left me worried about Kai. "Kai, this is Shepard, answer me." Still nothing. "Kai, this is Shepard, answer me." Still nothing. I could feel my heartrate increasing. He couldn't be dead. He wouldn't be. Not him.

"Is there any word, commander?" Liara asks me, resting her hand on my shoulder. I shake my hand. We're all in the mess, with Chakwas checking up on Shaun Hastings to make sure he's fine and doesn't have any strange diseases. Kai… The object of my recent thoughts. He has such similarities to Kai. He's intelligent; unbelievably so. If I didn't know any better, I'd call them brothers. That, unfortunately, is where their personalities stop being so similar. While Kai was confident in his abilities, he never let them completely blind him. He didn't get cocky. I always wondered why, to which he would respond "I've had that lesson beaten into my skull. I always lose when I get cocky." Shaun had no such qualms about showing off his intellect.

"No," I reply to Liara after a moment. Tali seems depressed at this news. "Not even a word. Just static." I sigh and glance over to where Shaun is. "I hope this guy was worth it. I take my eye off of Kai for _one_ moment…" I chuckle, but there's no humor behind it. I'm scared. He's just a civilian, and I sent him into a warzone! What was I thinking!?

"He'll be ok," Tali says, though she seems to be trying to convince herself as well as us. "He's not stupid enough to walk into a completely dangerous situation with no plan or backup. I'm sure he'll be fine." I nod. Tali's right. We need to have hope.

"That's right," I sigh once more as I speak. "We just need to have faith." That sounds like something Ash would say.

"Well, now that that's all over with," I hear Shaun leaving the medbay. I can feel migraines incoming. "Would anybody like to tell me what exactly we're waiting for? Let's get this show on the road, yeah?"

"We're waiting to hear from the rest of our team," Garrus replies curtly. He's been taking the annoying bastard a lot less gracefully then us women. "So far, no contact. So pull up a seat, human, 'cause you're in for a long wait." Shaun does indeed pull up a chair and sits down.

"What exactly are they doing, anyways?" he asks, seeming genuinely curious.

"I sent them out to destroy a Geth ship and gather information about the area," I explain. "They're being led by one of our newest members, though. Still, he has every quality a good leader needs… He should have gotten back in touch by now."

"You let a squad of your 'elite team' be led by a complete greenie?" he asks me, sounding incredulous. "Are you out of your bloody mind, you daft woman!?" He points an accusing finger at me. "You don't just let a puppy drag you along for a walk straight off, do you? No! Are you bloody insane!?"

"Don't question my judgement!" I snap back, making the man pause, though only for a moment. "I trust Kai to bring them back safely. He'll pull through."

"He'll die is what he'll do," Shaun grumbles. I blink, though, as static fills my comms.

 _"_ _Kai to Shepard,"_ incomes a steely calm voice. _"Come in. I swear to God I won't try a second-"_

"This is Shepard," I immediately answer, holding up a hand to silence the others. I patch them into the channel. "What's your position, Kai? Where are you?" There's silence for a moment before Kai speaks again.

 _"_ _I'm going to be busy for a little bit murdering the fuck out of this abomination,"_ he's growling. I've never heard so much anger and rage in his voice before. _"I'll contact you when I finish. If the rest of the team returns without me, go in. I'm going to destroy this thing, or die trying."_

"Kai, what's going on?" gone is the voice of commander Shepard, and here is the voice of me. Just… me. "You have to tell me!"

 _"_ _They were experimenting on the colonists. Controlling them with some creature older than… fuck, I don't even know."_ He pauses again. My blood runs cold.

"Hold on, we'll be right there and-"

 _"_ _No!"_ Kai screams. _"I'll kill this thing myself! This thing is disgusting! A blight on the galaxy!"_

"Kai, stop being unreasonable," Tali tries to argue, but we hear Wrex instead.

 _"_ _This thing is a damn dangerous bastard, but Kai is pissed off beyond belief,"_ he tells us. _"Don't worry, we'll take good care of him. You all just be ready for the call."_ Kaidan than speaks.

 _"_ _Don't worry, commander. Everything will be fine."_ There's a pause. _"He proved himself to me, and to Wrex, I think. I think this time he wants to prove himself to you, too."_ Prove himself to me? But there's nothing to prove!

"This is foolish!" I scold them. "Just hang on and I'll be there with my team. We can defeat whatever it is together!"

 _"_ _Goodbye, commander,"_ Kai growls before the channel is cut. I curse.

"Joker, get the airlock ready," I command. There's silence. "Joker!"

"No can do, commander," Joker sounds serious for once. "Kai told me to keep you in here until he comes back. I'm all for obeying powerful women in my life, but… Did you hear him?" There's a beat. "He's scarier than you when he's pissed off." I slam my fist into the wall. Fuck! Fuck! The first mission I give that damn boy and he's already turning things on their head! I thought I could trust him…

 _I'm going to be on a cruise during the next week, so don't expect much of a chapter next week. On the plus side, early chapter! Yay! Anyways, You get a cyber cookie if you tell me where Shaun Hastings is from. The world is starting to open up, and a greater threat is about to be unleashed…! Ja ne!_


	4. Chapter 3: The Open Heart

**Chapter Three: The Open Heart**

Hatred. Burning hatred flows through my veins as I stare at this thing. It's a disgusting, ugly creature that needs to be destroyed. It's vaguely green and pulsating, hanging over the middle of a chasm by tentacles. I can feel the pure hostility and power of this thing rolling around the room. It's nearly overwhelming. If I wasn't so angry, this thing probably would have overpowered my will. It's ancient, and it has to die. I thought this thing was repulsive in the game. It's even more disgusting in person. From one of its slimy orifices, a young Asari woman is formed. She falls to the ground, dressed in a black body suit. She looks up, and glares at us. No, not us. At me.

"You trespass upon The Old Growth's land," she seems to hiss with anger and aggression. "Steal The Old Growth's vassals. You are not welcome here."

"I don't give a damn what that fucking thing wants," I growl in response. "You either get out of the way, or I'll kill you too!" I don't even care that the Asari is technically the Thorian as well. I'm going to kill them anyway, so what does it matter? I immediately raise my weapon at the woman's head, and my team does the same.

"You are fools to deny The Old Growth!" she hisses at me. "Perish!" I weave to the side as the Asari sends a shockwave towards us.

"Light it up!" I scream. Immediately, the Asari is pelted by a hailstorm of mass accelerator rounds. Her body jerks before falling to the ground and crumbling to dust. I hear the Thorian screech, and I immediately run down a nearby hallway. I can hear the rasping breaths of zombies coming our way. "Take cover and don't let them close. We're going to knock out this fucker's tentacles and send it plummeting!"

 _"_ _You got it, boss,"_ Ash replies. I take a few potshots at the zombies, sending a few of them back to the dead.

 _"_ _If you think it'll work,"_ Kaidan follows up Ash as he lifts a few zombies into the air. Ashley riddles them with mass accelerator rounds. I grunt and clear the rest of the room with a few sniper shots.

"Move up!" I can see a tentacle in the next room. I take cover as Wrex clears the room with his shotgun. "Dust this bitch!" We all unleash hell on the Thorian tentacle, riddling it with holes. It seems to twitch before the tentacle eventually breaks and falls. The Thorian screeches loudly, making the entire structure shake. "We got one! Let's move up!" I glance at Wrex. "Yo, anything between us and the next tentacle gets fucked up, alright?"

 _"_ _With pleasure,"_ the Krogan rumbles, slamming his fists together. He rears, and charges up the stairs barehanded. He rips and shreds through the zombies with ease as Kaidan and I take point, covering him. Ash takes out anything that Wrex misses. So far we're making good progress. I smirk. This immobile pile of tentacles doesn't stand a chance against us! It isn't long until we reach the next tentacle supporting it. Even from here, I can see it straining; trying to support the weight of the fat piece of lard.

"You know what to do!" I roar with righteous fury. Just like the tentacle before, it gets ripped to shreds and eventually rips apart. Life juice sprays everywhere as the tentacle falls into the chasm below, with the Thorian once more shrieking in pain.

"You will not disturb The Old Growth any further!" I can hear the Asari return. I smirk and swap out my sniper rifle for my pistol. I need to be able to fight in the front lines with my team. Right as we round the corner, the Asari is there to lash out at us with her biotics.

"Kaidan!" I shout.

 _"_ _Got it,"_ he replies. I watch as he slams two zombies into the bitch, making her stumble.

"Focus fire on that green cunt!" I roar. Within seconds the bitch is crumbling to dust from the sheer amount of firepower we're packing. Strike team indeed. "Clear the area. I don't want anything left standing!"

 _"_ _That's not a problem,"_ Ash's voice rings through the comms. I chuckle and slam my pistol into a zombie, making it stumble back before I unleash four shots straight into its face.

"Fucking blight," I growl. The zombies have no chance against the sheer amount of firepower we're packing. I watch as Ash, Wrex, and Kaiden sweep across the room with their assault rifles, cutting down anything that moves. I smirk and grab my own rifle, standing beside them and doing the same as they are. Ghostbusters, anyone?

 _"_ _This isn't even a fight,"_ Wrex complains as we move forward. I have to agree with him. This is far too easy. _"C'mon, I want a bigger challenge!"_ I blink as a loud cry permeates through the building, shaking it. That… wasn't the Thorian… What the hell was that!?

 _"_ _Contact!"_ Kaidan shouts. Down the hall I can see what looks like a massive serpent with scythe claws. It almost looks like a scaly, ugly naga. It easily towers over even Wrex, and has several spines growing from its tail. What the fuck!? It notices us, and in an instant, a spine has been flung from its tail and has impaled the wall beside me.

"Take cover!" I shout. We all take cover, with Ash and Kaidan behind the door pillars, and Wrex and I behind a fallen concrete pillar. "What the fuck _is_ that!?" I shout. Wrex shakes his head.

 _"_ _In all my years, I've never seen anything like that,"_ he tells me. I sigh and take a risk, peering out from cover and taking a few shots at the creature. It shrieks in pain. Good, it can be killed. I duck back down, processing what I just saw. It's a greenish color, which means its probably spawned from the Thorian. I had mandibles near its teeth, and beady eyes filled with hatred. I can _feel_ a spine fly right beside my head, making me shiver. Shit, that thing is giving itself covering fire!

"Kaidan, how much control do you have over your biotics?" I ask the man. There's a lull for a moment.

 _"_ _I can smack a fly out from midair. What do you need, boss?"_ I grin at his response.

"The next time that thing tries to cover itself, send those spines right back at it," I order him. I turn to Wrex. "Wrex, when he does that, I want you to go in and take out its tail. You're a tough son of a bitch, so you've got a better chance at getting in close. You have that shield boost mod still on your suit, right?"

 _"_ _Yeah, I get what you're saying,"_ the Krogan replies, nodding. _"I'll make sure it can't keep us hiding like a bunch of pussies."_

"Good. As soon as its tail's gone, it's gonna want to get in close. Ash, that's where you and I come in," I look towards the woman by the door. "We'll give Wrex covering fire to get out of there. Try and push it back; maybe there's a ledge that Kaidan can throw it off of." Kaidan chuckles through my comms.

 _"_ _You like throwing things off of buildings, don't you?"_ he teases me. I shrug.

"I just think everyone should have a chance to see if they can fly," I suggest. Wrex laugh as this.

 _"_ _If a Krogan could fly, then the Salarians would be a doomed species by now!"_

"Want me to ask Kaidan to give you a few on-the-spot lessons?" I smirk. "I'm sure he'd be happy to throw you off a few cliffs."

 _"_ _Anything the boss says,"_ Kaidan adds. There's a short round of chuckles before it's back to business. I can see the creature rearing its tail back as soon as I peer over from my cover.

"Kaidan!"

 _"_ _I see it!"_ As soon as the spines fly towards me, I see them stopped in midair before they're quickly sent flying right back to the naga-like creature. It shrieks in pain as it's impaled. Seems like it didn't expect us to send its weapons right back at it.

"Wrex!" Wrex is already bounding over the pillar and charging the creature.

 _"_ _Get over here you overgrown_ koscha _!"_ the Krogan roars with fury. He crosses the boundary in seconds and grabs the naga's tail, attempting to rip it offits body. I can see the creature about to attack Wrex with its scythe claws.

"Ash! Light it up!"

 _"_ _You got it, boss!"_ I roar with defiance as Ashley and I begin firing on the naga. It's torn between attacking Wrex and defending itself from the rounds being shot at it. Slowly, it starts trying to slither backwards to try and avoid all of the pain being sent its way. I smirk and grab my grenade launcher. I have a special treat for baddies like this. Garrus had let me into the armory and shown me how to create explosives to use in the grenade launcher. My first creation was an abomination packed with more than the safe amount of Turian explosive powder. Garrus told me that if it went off in the ship, the entire back half of the Normandy would be gone.

"Time to say hello to my little friend!" I grin. "Wrex, either get out of the way or get caught in the blast! You're tough enough to take it!" the Krogan decides to heed my warning and rushes back towards us. There's something frightening about a charging Krogan, even if he isn't really aiming to hurt you. Still, the naga glares at us with glowing, hate filled eyes and hisses at us. It immediately starts to slither our way.

 _"_ _Uh, boss?"_ Ash seems concerned. I take aim with my little explosive baby and grin.

"Nerf this!" I shout, firing. The abomination of a grenade makes direct contact with the naga and explodes. "Cover!" Wrex dives behind the pillar right as the blast hits us. I can feel the entire building start to shake and rumble. Maybe I underestimated the power of the explosion. Shit, I could've used it on the Thorian and ended it! I'll have to keep in mind the power my little child causes.

 _"_ _Damn,"_ Wrex huffs. _"What kind of grenade was that?"_ He turns to me and I shrug.

"I like explosions," is all I say as I stand up. I glance over at where the naga was. There's now a massive hole in both the ceiling and the floor. "Let's keep moving. I was angry at first, but now I'm just getting bored with this thing. That, and I don't have another Explosive Baby, so it would be best to end this before the Thorian can make another one of those… things." As we continue along, once more having to face down hordes of zombies, I try and remember what the creature was. It looked familiar, but I know it was never in this game.

 _"_ _Boss, I think we need to start an intervention about you and explosives,"_ Ash comments as we fire on another tentacle.

"Aren't those usually _after_ the person has done something a lot? That was my first blast!"

 _"_ _Technically we can still count the anti-Thorian gas,"_ Kaidan corrects me. _"You're a bit trigger happy when it comes to blowing things up."_

 _"_ _We think you should avoid the grenade launcher for a while,"_ Ash tells me. I glance at Wrex. He pauses before speaking.

 _"_ _I'm on your side, kid,"_ he tells me. I turn back to my other two squad mates.

"See? The Krogan agrees with me."

 _"_ _He's a Krogan, boss."_

 _"_ _They have a point,"_ Wrex mumbles. I hang my head in faux misery before blasting off the head of another zombie.

"You guys are so mean to me!" I whine humorously. I smile, though. It seems like we're all cool, for the most part.

 _"_ _Just asking, but can I get one of those… Explosive Babies?"_ Wrex asks me. I chuckle and shake my head as we come upon the last weight supporting tentacle. It's already stretching, being forced to carry the Thorian's entire fat ass.

"Light 'er up," I say, and we slice through the tentacle with ease. I can hear the creature shriek with pain and agony as it realizes what's happened, and it falls to its death. I hum to myself. "That was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Besides the almost dying part. Good job, team." I get grumbles of approval from the rest as I hit my comms. "Kai to Shepard, come in." I watch as a nearby pod opens, and the pale blue Asari from before slips out. The others instantly aim their weapons, but I hold my hand up. I know this one won't be aggressive.

 _"_ _What the hell happened to you, Kai!?"_ Shep screams into my ear. I wince. Shit, I done goofed, didn't I? _"Where are you!?"_

"Under Zhu's Hope," I tell her, checking over the Asari. She seems unharmed; just exhausted. I guess killing the Thorian released its thralls. "Come join us whenever you like." The Asari looks up at me with clear platinum eyes. "I think we just found our ticket to helping you with your Prothean memories."

I help the Asari to her feet, letting her lean against the wall behind her as I cut off the comm channel. "You," I take off my helmet so she can see my face. To suddenly wake up and be surrounded by three humans and a Krogan, who assumedly killed the thing keeping you captive? That had to be pretty scary. "What's your name?" The Asari gives me a confused look before she calms down. She must be accepting that if I wanted to kill her, I already would have.

"Shiala," she tells me. The Asari pants a few times. "Why have you rescued me? I suppose I should be grateful, but why?" She still seems a bit disoriented.

"You have something we need," I tell her. "That, and I have a raging hero complex. Take your pick on which one might be worse for you." I smirk at her, though Shiala simply rolls her eyes. "You're here because of Saren, aren't you?"

"I am," she replies, starting to shake off her confusion. "He wanted the cypher to translate the visions in his mind. The ability to think like a Prothean." I hum and nod to myself "He left me here as tribute to the Thorian in exchange."

"Seems legit," I tap my foot on the ground for a moment.

"You actually believe this chick?" Ash asks me. I nod and point my pistol at the Asari.

"Yep. She doesn't have any reason to lie to us, right?" I give her a serious glare as I charge up a shot. She nods urgently, fear laced on her face.

"O-Of course not! I don't support Saren in any way!" she claims. I smirk. "Saren does something to his followers. To Benezia. He controls their minds and makes them want to agree with him. He did the same thing to Matriarch Benezia and myself!" I nod and fire into the roof, making Shiala flinch, before I holster my pistol again.

"Good! Now, my commander will be here soon, and you're going to give her the cipher, am I understood?" Shiala nods in response, obviously realizing that she's outmatched here. "Tell me about yourself, then. What's Saren's plan?"

"I don't know what he plans, exactly," Shiala tells us. "But I know that Matriarch Benezia wanted to dissuade him from it. She thought that her mental control could let her resist whatever Saren was doing, but it wasn't enough. Benezia is not the enemy! Please, you must help her if you can!" I already know that's impossible. Indoctrination is a hard thing to break. The stronger your will, the harder it is to break it.

"I'll do what I can," I tell the Asari.

"Kai!" Shepard's voice echoes through the room as she approaches us. I grin and spread my arms out, turning to the very angry woman.

"Fire Flower!" I cheer, then grunt as she uppercuts me hard enough to lift me off the ground. I cough a few times and chuckle. "Yeah, probably deserved that…"

"You idiot!" Shepard punches me again, then kneels beside me. "Did you even realize how worried I was about you? How could you go off on your own like that!?"

"I had my team," I tell her, looking up into her green eyes. I can see the beginnings of tears forming. Is she going to cry over me? I know it's not good, but… I feel kind of happy about it. She was actually worried about me… "They wouldn't have let me die, right?"

"He was in good hands, Shepard," Wrex affirms.

"We wouldn't have let him die on you, commander," Ashley follows up. I grin and give Shep a thumbs up.

"See? All good!" I chuckle and slowly stand. Damn, she punches hard! "Now, Shep." I turn and motion towards Shiala. "This is Shiala. She has the key to thinking like a Prothean."

"What? How?" Shepard sounds suspicious. Shiala bows her head, trying to seem as nonthreatening as she can.

"My name is Shiala T'Roa. I was given as a sacrifice to the Thorian in exchange for the cipher," she introduces herself. "I was put under control of Saren, but it wasn't willing. Saren twists the minds of those around him, convincing them that his ideals are correct." Shepard remains silent in thought for a moment.

"Can you give me the cipher?" she asks, stepping forward. Shiala nods.

"I can, but it requires that I meld my mind with yours," she offers Shep her hand. "Will you allow me to do so?" Shepard nods and allows Shiala to touch her face. Shiala's eyes close for a moment, before they open once more. They're an eerie black, like the eternal darkness. It's really creepy! "Embrace eternity!" It's only for a moment before Shepard stumbles back, Shiala doing the same. I grab Shep by the waist and help her keep standing.

"Got something?" I ask her. Shepard pants hard, her eyes wide in what looks like fear and shock. "Stay with me, Shep!" I rest my hand on hers. "Breathe in. Now out. In. Out. There you go. Just calm down." It takes a moment before Shepard swallows and glances at me. "What did you see?"

"Horrible things," she grunts, pushing me aside gently. She's a bit wobbly on her feet, but manages to stand. "The Protheans… being merged with machinery. Being destroyed, and killed. Then… Then I saw it. A Reaper." She huffs. "They destroyed everything and mutilated the Protheans for their own sick experiments. They'll do the same to every species in the galaxy is they're given the chance!"

I frown and nod. "Then let's get moving," I tell her. I turn to Shiala. "What do you plan on doing now that you're free?"

"I will stay here on Zhu's Hope to help the colonists rebuild," she tells me. "It's the least I can do after the things I've done. Please, may the Goddess grant you safe travels." I nod and give her a smile.

"And may the Goddess watch over you," I tell her in response. Her eyes widen in surprise. I don't really believe in her Goddess, but I at least can make her feel less judged. I turn back to Shepard. "Let's get moving. It looks like we're on a time limit, here." Shepard nods and smiles at me as we walk back to the Normandy.

When we returned, the last person I expected to see was a middle aged man with glasses asking about the ship. Pressley, his chosen target, seems like he's trying hard not to snap at the man. "Exactly my point!" the man speaks with a British accent. "If space is an absolute vacuum, then forward momentum only thrusters shouldn't work! There's no air for the airfoils to catch in order to change direction!"

"I told you, Mr. Hastings, that _I_ am not the one who designed this craft!" Pressley sounds exhausted. "I did not major in spatial physics so I can't tell you exactly how it works!" Hastings scoffs before he finally turns back to us.

"Can you believe this gibbon?" he complains to Shepard. "This daft bastard believes this ship can fly _in space_ on only forward momentum and airfoils!"

"They're _not_ airfoils, Shaun," Tali speaks up from behind me. "The Normandy has several thrusters on each wing that change its trajectory, allowing it to-"

"The ship tips upwards when you do that, right?" he asks, interrupting the Quarian. I can see Liara and Garrus sending the man disgruntled looks, and pull my squad away while Shep, Tali and I deal with him. "How? There's no air in space for it to do that! You're all bloody insane!" I blink.

"Shaun Hastings?" I ask, my eyes narrowing. It seems like he's finally noticed me. "As in… you're…" I pause.

"And I assume this is the lad you sent in to deal with the damned robots, am I right?" he asks Shep. I glance at Shepard and she sighs.

"Joker, set a course for the Citadel," she announces.

"Roger that, commander," Joker replies. Shepard than turns to Shaun as we lift off, making him stumble.

"This is Kai," she introduces me to Shaun as he adjusts his glasses upon his face, making him look like even more of an asshole. "He's the co-commander of my ground team." I blink at the term but don't show my surprise.

"You're Shaun Hastings," I repeat. "How are you here?"

"Your commander," he speaks with air quotes, "decided it would be a brilliant idea to take me along with you lot."

"No, I mean how are you _here_?" I ask seriously. "You shouldn't be here. You should be infiltrating Abstergo-" I cut myself off and glance at Shepard. "Let's talk about this somewhere else."

"How do you know about Absergo?" Shaun's voice is steely calm. He's giving me a dangerous look. While he isn't a fighter, there's no doubt in my mind that he can hurt me if he wanted.

"Kai, what's going on?" Shep asks.

"I'll tell you another time," I tell her. "Shaun, let's talk about this someplace else." I motion to Shepard with my eyes, my teeth clenched. He glares at me, but nods.

"Yes," he agrees. "Lets." I give Shepard a nod before we both walk away, but she catches my shoulder.

"This isn't over," she tells me. I nod in response and lead Shaun to the briefing room. He stands in the center with his arms crossed.

"Tell me," he growls at me. "How do you know about Abstergo? Do you know why we're here? How I got here?" He opens his arms. "Who the bloody fuck are you!?"

"My name is Kai," I introduce myself. "I know all about the Assassins and the Templars." If looks could kill, I'd be a puddle on the floor. "All you need to know right now is that neither of them exist, here."

"What do you mean they don't exist!?" he grabs me by my collar and tries to shake me. "They hide in goddamn sight! How would you know whether they exist or not!?"

"This isn't the same universe you were born in, Shaun!" I push his arms away from me. He stops. "Tell me, what's the last thing you remember?" He hesitates.

"Desmond… went in to talk with Juno," he tells me. "There was a bloody bright light, then I found myself in those ruined buildings." I hum and think a moment.

"She must have done something," I conclude. "She sent you to this universe. You're nearly two centuries in the future, Shaun, in a completely different universe. The Assassins and Templars don't exist here. The only underground war going on is that between different alien races." The man stares at the floor, processing everything I've just told him. I reach over to rest my hand on his shoulder, but he shoves it away.

"That's… bloody impossible," he mumbles. "But it makes too much goddamn sense. Is there a way to go back?" He looks up at me. I shake my head and shrug.

"Not that I know of," I tell him. I can see the gears turning in his head.

"How do you know me?" he asks me. "About everything? About this place? How do you know?"

"Can you keep a secret?" I ask. He scoffs. "Right, stupid question. I'm not from this universe either." He looks at me like I've sprouted wings and become the tooth fairy. "I'm from the past too, but in a dimension where both yours and this universe are video games."

"Blasted games!?" Shaun explodes. I nod solemnly, keeping a straight face. "You're fucking me!"

"I'm not," I respond calmly. "This universe and yours are games in mine. Desmond Miles is the main character of your universe's game, and Commander Shepard is the main character in hers. When I woke up here, I decided I would help her in any way I can."

"You have to tell her!"

"I can't!" I growl. "If you were back home and I told you that your entire life, your entire world is a game, would you believe me?" He pauses. "If this had never happened to you, would you have believed what I just told you?" Shaun crosses his arms and shifts on his feet.

"No," he replies. "No, I suppose not. It's still too huge to believe, though." He chuckles. "You're like one of the bloody assassins, you daft bastard. Hiding in plain sight for the greater good." I shrug.

"I'm just doing what I can," I tell him. "Let's go. Once we get to the Citadel I'll help you start a life. The good thing is, it's so big that you can pretty much hide wherever you want and do whatever you need to start a new life." Shaun nods and sighs.

"I guess I'll need to do that," he tells me. "This is a lot to think about. I think I'd like some time alone, lad." I nod as we leave the briefing room. This wasn't supposed to happen.

 **Shepard's POV**

Shaun became a lot more tolerable after Kai took him aside to talk. The Normandy was much quieter than when he'd first been brought in, that is. Still, the whole thing about Abstergo bugged me. How did two civilians who were completely unrelated know about the same nonexistent company? What made it so important to them? I frown to myself as I look over the reports on my desk. Wrex and Kaidan both seem to approve of Kai a bit more, but that isn't my problem. We've run out of leads. I don't know where to search next. Shiala didn't know where Saren and Benezia had gone, and the Council hadn't reached me about my mission reports yet. I was at a loss.

Not only that, but Kai had been avoiding me like the plague since he'd talked to Shaun. He's actively avoiding me, I know it. I wanted to talk to him about his mission, too. About what happened. When we returned to the Normandy, I noticed he was limping. It was enough time for any adrenaline to wear off, so he must have been in pain. Wrex wouldn't tell me what happened, and Ash and Kaidan were staying silent. When I asked Dr. Chakwas, she simply shook her head and told me not to worry. I'm losing power on my own ship to Kai. This is unacceptable.

Still, there's nothing I can do about it right now until he lets me confront him about it. At the Citadel, I'm going to force him to leave with me. He won't have a choice. I need new weapons for the team, and I know that we need to refuel and grab more food.

"Commander, the Council would like a word with you," Joker's voice rings over the intercom. I curse. I really don't want to talk to them right now. Still, I probably should give my report.

"I'll be right there, Joker," I tell him as I leave my room. I walk up the stairs, annoyed at both Kai, myself, and the Council. It doesn't take me long to enter the briefing room, and the holograms of the Councilors appear before me. I look them each in their nonexistent eyes. Councilors."

"Shepard," Tevos, the Asari, speaks first. "I'd like to congratulate you and personally thank you on your actions on Feros. Had ExoGeni simply told us of their research, this entire situation could have been avoided."

"Still, you allowed a civilian to lead your ground team?" Sparatus, the Turian, follows her up. "Had he died, it would have been a major black mark against both you and the Council. Consider this your only warning."

"Had he not taken that mission, it would have all ended in failure," I tell the Council. While it isn't exactly true, they don't need to know that I took the easier mission just to test his capabilities. He did exceedingly well, in my opinion. "You should be thanking him for saving the colony like he did.

"We don't deny that what he did was heroic," Tevos tries to placate the two of us. "However, it was a risky maneuver that would have caused a media panic should he have been killed in action. We only request that you be more cautious of your decisions in the future, Spectre." I nod in agreement. I can at least agree with her reasoning, there.

"I chose him because he has the indomitable will of a soldier, and he has one of the most tactically sound minds outside of the Salarians that I've ever met," I defend both Kai and myself. "The Thorian was a factor nobody could have accounted for, and he succeeded in his mission just the same."

"Speaking of said creature," Valern, the Salarian spoke up. "Was it nessicery to destroy it? There could have been much to be learned from such an ancient creature."

"With all due respect, Councilor," kiss my ass, "the Thorian saw those around it as nothing more than toys to be controlled and played with. It wouldn't have allowed us just to study it. It would have attempted to control anyone who came close to it." Valern sighs, but remains silent.

"In light of this, I suppose this concludes this debriefing," Tevos speaks. "Well done, Spectre. We'll contact you if we have any more information about your mission." With that, the channel cuts out. My first debriefing without Kai, and I feel exhausted. How does he manage it all?

When we land on the Citadel, I immediately call Kai to meet me at the airlock. This will determine whether or not he's still going to listen to my orders. If he doesn't show up… then I'll have to punish him for disobeying direct orders. That, and he might just be attempting a mutiny. I sigh as I wait, dressed in full armor. I don't want to punish him. He seems like a really nice guy. No, he _is_ a really nice guy. I don't want to have to punish him over something stupid like this.

As I see him approach, I can also see that Shaun is with him. They're talking softly, but Kai waves to me as they get closer. "What's he here for?" I ask, motioning towards the bespectacled man. Kai smiles.

"I'm going to help him get citizenship on the Citadel," he tells me. "He's kinda homeless, so I figured he can restart his life here." Shaun nods softly.

"Yeah, I do suppose I shouldn't laze around like a gibbon, yeah?" he suggests. "I hear you're pretty influential, love. How's about you help me out?" I glance at Kai.

"I'm not leaving him till he's certified to live here," Kai tells me. I sigh and nod slowly. "Great! So we need to head to C-Sec HQ, right?"

"Yeah," I sigh once more as I speak. "With my status, we can have this done quickly. Let's go." The decontamination is still slow. The elevators are still slow. Same old Citadel. I lead the two boys to the office where the registry is. Behind the desk sits a light purple Asari. "Hello," I greet her. She looks up at us. "I'm Commander Shepard, and I'd like to help this man get a registry."

"Why would a Spectre use her status just for that?" she asks, though she's still moving to get the needed paperwork for registry. I shrug.

"We picked him up on a distress call and we're heading in the opposite direction of where he's from," I lie to the Asari. "I figured that he can at least restart his life here." While the Registration Officer seems suspicious of this, she doesn't dare question a Spectre like me. I hand the forms to Shaun and he sits down to sign them. It's just basic questions about his background. "You'll be fine from here?" I ask. He nods.

"Go on then. This isn't the first time I've had to do such things," he waves us off. He then looks at me. "Thank you, though, love. It's been a pleasure." He gives Kai a short nod before we leave. I have Kai by the balls, metaphorically, now. There's no way he can escape me or my questions. We do, however, walk in silence through the Wards. How do I bring up the subject? He'll only deny it or try to distract me.

I sigh to myself. This shouldn't be happening. I don't want to lose him on my crew, but he's starting to have even more sway over them than I do. Even Joker's keeping secrets from me, now! I feel almost alienated on my own ship.

"Kai," I speak up softly, and he turns to face me. I shake my head. I should get my weapons, first. "Let's go grab some gear. I don't know what's ahead of us, so we should order some better firepower for our crew." He nods and motions for me to take the lead. There are a few weapons shops on the Citadel, but not many. This isn't normally a place for violence. Most of what we'd get are at the Requisitions Office, but their prices are almost always overwhelming when you can get the same quality of weapon elsewhere.

"So, what got you interested in the military?" he asks suddenly. I pause, but shake off the shock of the random question. It's normal for him, I think.

"My parents were both in the military," I tell him. "My mother is actually the XO of the dreadnaught SSV Kilimanjaro." He hums with interest. "My dad died during the First Contact War, though. I figured that it would be hard enough for mom to raise me on her own, so I decided to join the Alliance." I smile softly. "Of course mom wasn't exactly happy with that; what mother wants their only child going to war? But still, I managed alright. I guess… I was raised in a military family, and I wanted to make mom and dad proud."

"Do you talk to her much?" he asks me. I shake my head sadly.

"I haven't gotten much of a chance since I became a Spectre," I tell him before sighing. "Everything's gotten so crazy that I just… I don't have the time to just call her." He turns to me and smiles.

"When we get to the Normandy, you should give her a call," he tells me softly. I can hear reflection in his voice. "My folks… well, I was never close to my parents. But you seem to really like your mom, so you should call and tell her you're doing ok."

"What about you?" I ask him, taking him off guard. "Tell me about your life."

"There's not much to tell," he says sullenly. "I'm considered a failure in every sense of the word. I'm unmotivated and didn't do well in school. Hell, couldn't even get a decent career. Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me. Despite getting shot in the process." He winks at me and gives me a teasing smile. "It was _you_ that shot me, right?"

"No, it was Garrus," I tell him. He pouts.

"Damn, and now I can't even claim that I was shot by a pretty woman just so she could talk to me," he chuckles. I turn away from him, though, hiding the flush threatening to spread on my cheeks. That idiot. I yelp as he pulls me inside a store. I immediately notice that it's an arms shop. "Hey, look at this!" He leans in close to an assault rifle. I can tell that it's of decent make off the top of my head, and it has a decent accuracy. Not much recoil either. It's a bit larger than Kai's current weapon, but it would be the perfect size for the entire team. "Pretty cool!"

"Do you even know what it is?" I ask him, resting my hands on my hips and giving him a coy look. He sticks his tongue out at me.

"It's a gun, duh."

"I mean what it's called. The company who made it," I specify. "Look at the specs. This thing fires about fifty rounds before it overheats in less than four seconds. It has an accuracy rating of forty, which is pretty good for its size. The recoil is also better than the weapons we have now. If we bought eight of these…" I whistle at the price. That would be almost eighty thousand credits just to arm the ground team.

"How about just two for now?" he asks, looking up at me. I cross my arms and think. "We're the two squad leaders, so maybe we should get a bit of a boost in our weapons. I mean, we're going to have to be taking charge most of the time."

"I rarely use my assault rifle, though," I tell him. I pat the shotgun on my hip. "I'm more of an up close and personal type of gal." I wink at him teasingly. "Think you can find a good weapon to suit a fragile woman such as myself?"

"Says the Spectre built like a goddamn tank," Kai chuckles and shakes his head before he starts looking around. I can tell that the Turian dealer behind the counter isn't exactly happy with two humans shopping here, but it looks just slow enough in the store that he won't try and chase us off. Finally he stops in front of a rather large looking weapon. I blink as I see it. Damn, that thing can pack a punch! "Five shots till overheat, both wide and narrow spread settings, and only a little more recoil than what you have now, right?" He looks at me and I nod.

"Very good," I say. "What's the price on it?" He leans in closer.

"Fifteen thousand credits," he tells me. I inhale sharply. That's not cheap.

 _"_ _Ashley to Shepard,"_ I hear in my comms. I blink and open the channel.

"This is Shepard," I answer. "What's going on, Ash?"

 _"_ _Just letting you know that Garrus and I are helping Wrex with a personal problem,"_ she says. _"Something about family armor. We'll let you know when we finish."_

"Just be careful," I tell them.

 _"_ _Roger that, commander."_

"What's going on?" Kai asks me. I shake my head.

"Just Wrex and a few of the others taking care of something," I tell him. "They should be fine. They know how to take care of themselves." Kai laughs at that.

"That's an understatement," he says. "I pity whoever took Wrex's pink armor." I freeze. I didn't say anything about armor. I close my eyes and sigh. This moment of fun was short lived, after all.

"Let's buy us these weapons," I say, trying to seem as upbeat as I can. He knows more than he should. Knows more than anyone should. How did he know about Wrex's armor? There's so much that doesn't make sense with him! Kai nods at my suggestion, though heading up to the counter. I grab my credit chit as he tells the Turian what we want. I set the chit on the counter beside him. I need to talk to him.

After trading in our weaponry; since we sold the old ones we had, I decided that we should head up the Presidium. I want to be someplace relaxing before I confront Kai about this. We find a nice balcony off to the side to relax. It's near a lounge, and is accessible just to the side. I've ordered a bottle of Chateau Lafite 1865; something that was well over my paygrade. Supposedly there are less than a hundred of them left. Still, taking a sip from the red wine, I can see why it would be so coveted. And so expensive. I'm definitely in debt, now.

I ordered it because I need some sort of drink to help me relax, and Kai doesn't seem to mind. We've found a comfortable couch to sit on, just watching the people outside through a glass wall. It's still 'daytime' in the Citadel, so there are plenty of people to watch. I smile as Kai makes up stories for different people who stand out to him.

"…and his brother is actually a vorcha because of some freak lab experiment," he concludes one such story. I chuckle softly, and take another sip of my drink. My eyes flash over to him every so often. We've been here for the last half hour, just sitting and talking. I can feel myself start to relax, but I know it won't last that long. My heartbeat quickens as I try and gather the courage to confront him about his strange words and actions. He glances at me and frowns. He can probably see something is wrong. "You ok, Shep?"

"I…" I try to answer, but fail. "No… No, I'm not." I can't muster up the strength to give him my 'commander voice'. "Kai, you're a very nice young man and I respect the strength you have, but you've been hiding things from me." I can see him freeze in my peripheral vision. He tries to stand up and move away, but I catch his wrist. No. No more running, Kai. "I need you to tell me what's going on."

"Do don't like where this is going, Shep," he tells me in a tight tone. He sounds like an animal that's been cornered. "You need to drop it." I want to, but I can't until you tell me what's going on! I have to know!

"No," I tell him, trying to keep my voice from shaking. "You're hiding things from me and I deserve to know what. I'm your commander. Your superior officer. You are obligated to tell me what you're hiding when I ask for it."

"I'm a civilian," he corrects me. "I don't have to tell you anything about anything if I don't want to. I can still press charges against you for shooting me, you know. My memory might suddenly come back." He wouldn't! No… he wouldn't just do that to me… He won't even look at me!

"Kai…" I whisper. "Are you going to let a little secret destroy everything we've done so far?" He doesn't speak. "You know more than you should. You knew about Wrex' armor without me telling you what they were doing. What do you know? Can you tell the future, or something?"

"I don't want it to be a secret," he tells me in a slow way. He looks at me, and I can see the concern in his eyes. "I wish I could tell you, but I can't. Not right now, at least. Do you trust me?" I don't respond. I can't respond to that. "Shep, do you trust me?"

"I don't know," I answer truthfully. Kai pauses before he takes my hand in his. I close my eyes, wishing that this all were as peaceful as it seems. "I really don't know anymore." Kai sighs and wraps his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer to him. I should pull away. I should punch him and yell at him. But I feel too exhausted. I just want a moment to rest and relax. Instead, I lay my head on his shoulder.

"I promise you that what I do. What I know. It's all to help you," he says to me, looking outside. "I wouldn't do anything to intentionally hurt you, ya know?" Doesn't he know how weird it is for him to say things like that? "I just ask that you trust me. Everything will be ok. I promise that I won't let anything hurt you." I close my eyes. I look for any sense that he could be lying to me. I find nothing of the sort.

Kai's arm pulls me closer to him. Despite the armor we're both wearing, I feel comfortable. "So you aren't going to tell me what's going on with you?" I ask. I feel Kai shake his head.

"Not yet," he tells me. "Now isn't the right time. Maybe I'll tell you some other time, when this is all over. Ok?" I sigh in response. "Everything I do, I do it for you, Shep." There's a softness in his voice. It's warm and inviting. I let my eyes open just slightly and move my head so I'm looking at him.

He isn't exactly the most handsome man I've ever met. He isn't chiseled, or tough looking. But he looks… at peace. He looks calm, and content with where he is. I wish I could feel the same way. How does he manage it? To be so mysterious, and so destructive, and so at peace all at once? It's kind of attractive, actually. I admire those things about him. Maybe I'm stronger on the external battlefield since I'm a veteran, but he's stronger in the internal battlefield. "Kai..?" I whisper. He turns to face me and gives me a soft smile. "Why would you do all this for me? If you really want to do this all for me, why keep it a secret? Wouldn't it be better if I knew what was going on?"

He shakes his head in response. "If you knew the things that I do, you'd worry yourself to death," he tells me. "It's like you told me during training; this isn't a game. I have to figure out some of these things myself."

"You care about me that much?" I ask as bait. The connotation of my question is obvious. He takes a moment, but nods.

"Yeah," he tells me. "I do." My heartbeat quickens even more. I've had crushes in basic and during my time as a soldier, and I've even taken a few nights to enjoy the passions a man can bring me. Still, this is different. There's more care to this than those fleeting nights and those silly crushes. He genuinely cares about me, it feels like. He hasn't asked to sleep with me, even; requests that weren't in short supply when I was in a squad. Our little teasing might have started as jokes, but not I'm not so sure. There's a lot I'm not sure about, anymore. Is he serious about this? Does he really feel the same way I do? I take a deep breath.

I can feel myself moving closer to him, my head reaching out. I don't even bother hiding my reddening face as he does the same towards me. I let myself close my eyes, and I feel our lips touch. It's gentle at first. He seems almost hesitant; nervous. It's kind of cute in a weird way. I take a deep breath and reach up, cupping his cheek in my hand. Almost instinctively, he presses his face further against me hand. I smile, taking my other hand and grasping his in it. His kisses become a bit more bold and more energetic. Excited, even. For a moment, I think his tongue brushed against mine. I grin and pull away, making him move forward as if begging for more.

"Another time," I wink at him, making him groan and pout. "If you're going to be keeping secrets from me, then I retain the right to tease you any time I feel." I laugh softly as he grumbles. I hum softly and think a moment. "Does this make us official?" He shrugs and smiles a bit.

"I guess so," Kai tells me. "Why, what do you have in mind?"

"I don't think my _boyfriend_ should be sleeping alone in a smelly old sleeper pod," I tell him, squeezing his hand. "I don't think we're ready for _that_ yet, but I wouldn't mind sharing a bed with the man I've grown to care about. As infuriatingly stupid as he is." He shrugs and laughs.

"Let's finish our wine and head back to the Normandy," he tells me. "I think we've kept everyone waiting long enough." I nod in agreement and hold up my glass. He does the same. "To us," he toasts.

"To us." After tapping our glasses together, I give him another quick kiss.

 **Kai's POV**

I try hard not to skip on the way back to the Normandy. I'm in a relationship with Commander goddamn Shepard! Shit, I'm gonna have to learn her real name. Ahhh, that can wait. I'm in a relationship with a _real_ woman! Shit, she's older than me. Wait, since when have I ever cared about that? I can't wipe the grin off my face as we head up to the Normandy. I hum to myself, much to the annoyance of Ash, Garrus, and Wrex. Wrex is carrying some pink armor with him, so I assume their mission was a success. Great! I like it when things work out. We make a brisk pace back to the Normandy, and I trail behind everyone else. We'd met the motely crew of three on the way back, and Ashley had gone into the tale of how they'd gotten Wrex's family armor back. Apparently she'd let herself be seduced by the Turian guy who'd had it, which… ew. Though Ash in her underwear… Shit, no! Bad me! I'm spoken for now! Still… boobies… Dammit, my pervy tendencies are coming back! I should probably warn Shepard.

Nah, I'll let it come as a surprise to her. The galaxy has a new name to fear! Kai, the Super Pervert has returned! Muhahahaha! "Are you alright?" Garrus asks from beside me. "You were letting out a pretty evil laugh, kid." I smile cheekily.

"Just enjoying the thought of what Shep an I did today," I reply without a beat.

"What, did you rob some banks and blow up a hospital?" Ashley asks me. I chuckle and shake my head.

"Nah, we just waterboarded the elderly," I tell her without missing a beat. Ash pauses before she rolls her eyes and shakes her head. Gullible as all balls. We approach the doors, and I notice a datapad shimmer into existence on a crate nearby. I blink. "I'll be right with you guys." I wave them off. Shepard gives me a concerned look, but I give her a winning smile. She rolls her eyes, but they all head into the ship. I frown and head over to the datapad. On it is my original message in thanks. Underneath that though are the words "You're welcome". My eye twitches. That's it? I grumble and type in something underneath that. "Who are you?" That should be enough for now. With that, I walk onto the Normandy. From what I can tell, the snow planet is all that's left for now. Damn, I hate the cold! Just like the last time; as the doors shut, the datapad shimmers out of existence.

 **?'s POV**

I look down at the message he left me on this pad. Who am I? Who am I? Who _am_ I? That's a question I stopped asking a long time ago. A question I'm kind of afraid to bring up again. I don't know who I am, and I really don't think I ever _will_ know. But I know who he is. He's the one who's been looking into things that the Earth government wants to keep secret. He's the one who suddenly appeared out of nowhere one day. He's the one who's caught my eye. I don't know who he is, either, but I'm going to keep watching him. He's interesting, for a human. Maybe someday, he can tell me who I am. But not now. It's too early. For now, I'll just keep watching. Maybe I'll go and grab some ramen, too. It's been a long time since I've had those delicious noodles. I'm sure a lovely paying customer won't mind if they suddenly found their bowl missing. Probably along with any credit chit they have on their person.


	5. Chapter 4: Noveria

**Chapter Four: Noveria**

I yawn as I wake up for the 'morning'. It's been almost a day since we left the Citadel, and Shepard and I have both taken the time to get to know each other a bit better. She learned about my love of video games, and suggested we get a console for the lounge sometime. Of course I excitedly agreed. Since it was late, though, we decided to spend our first night together. Let me tell you, Shepard sleeps in her underwear and it's _fucking amazing_! Besides, she was totally swaying her hips when she was getting undressed. She _knew_ what she was doing to me. Not that I mind at all. It was totally worth it being the little spoon, too. Apparently, Shepard is a cuddler, and was holding me during the night. Even now, I can feel her heavenly melons pressed against my back, and her arms wrapped around my stomach.

I can't help but smile at the feeling as well. Of just being held like this. I can't remember the last time I shared a bed with a woman who didn't immediately leave after she got what she wanted. This time, though, she just wants to share a bed with me. I'm perfectly ok with that. I allow myself to shuffle back into Shepard's warm body under the covers, enjoying the entire experience. Maybe I can get some more sleep.

"You feeling comfortable?" I hear her mumble in my ear. She takes a deep breath and sighs. She seems happy. "I have to say, I haven't had many guys who actually stay the entire night. This was nice." I feel a pang of jealousy at those words, but stay quiet about it.

"This is nice," I groan. "We can just stay like this forever, right?" Shepard chuckles and gives my neck a light kiss.

"If only," she whispers. "You know, sooner or later we're going to have to get up. We might just be drifting at the moment, but the Council will have word for us eventually."

"Can we make it later, rather than sooner?" I request. I can hear her smile behind me.

"I'll take it under consideration," she tells me. I smile, though, as her arms tighten around me. Who knew it took being sent to a completely different universe to final find some peace of mind? Well, I'll take this-

"Commander, we've got a call waiting from the Council," Joker's annoying, stupid voice appears from over the intercom. Fucking crippled asshole. Shepard seems to be of the same thoughts as she groans.

"Tell them I'll be right there," she groans, slowly pulling away from me. "Kai, you're with me. If they're going to fuck up my relaxing day with the guy I like, I'm going to make them pay each second in blood."

"Maybe not _that_ brutal, hun," I chuckle and give Shepard a quick kiss. "But yes, they'll pay for interrupting my cuddles."

"…You guys know I can still hear you, right?" Joker sounds like he's about to start laughing. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that big bad commander Shepard has a cuddle bear, now."

"I will rip your entrails with a goddamn spoon, pilot!" I growl. The intercom goes silent at that, though I swear to God I can hear Joker laughing on the deck above us. Shepard is flushed with embarrassment, and I can't help but smirk. "So, I'm your cuddle bear now, huh?"

"I'll still punch you," she threatens me, though there's no bite behind it. She probably still will, though, so it's best I stop while I'm ahead. Shepard sighs before she eventually rolls out of bed and stands up. I do the same a few seconds later, picking out my clothing from the decontaminator in her room while she shifts through her closet for something decent to wear. We finally pull on our respective clothes and head out from her quarters. "You seem oddly fine with being practically naked around me." I give her a teasing smile.

"You think you're the first woman I've ever slept with? Nonsexual or otherwise?" I chuckle as I see her pout. Turnabout is fair play. "Plus, I'm a Super Pervert. Nudity and seduction don't work on me." She grins predatorily, probably wondering how she can make me slip up. Hah! That's my master plan! I challenge her to try and seduce me, and that means more sexy time for me! I am the Pervy Master! Muhahahahaha!

"You're making a creepy face," Shepard rolls her eyes and smirks as we enter the Briefing Room. As usual, the big blue bosses are standing ready for us.

"Commander Shepard," the Turian Councilor greets her, then turns to me, "and… Mr. ********… What an unexpected surprise…"

"Aw, you know you love me, Birdman," I give him a shit eating grin. "How's it hanging? You take that stick outta your ass, yet?" I can see his eye twitching. Is that even possible with Turians?

"Shepard," the Asari interjects. "We've received intel that Matriarch Benezia has been located on Noveria. If you want to locate her and gain a leg up on Saren, then that will be your best chance." I smile at her and chuckle.

"That's the place with all the snow, right?" I ask. Tevos look at me.

"Yes…" she responds slowly.

"The one where loopholes are the law of the land?"

"…Yes…"

"…I could kiss you right now," I tell the Asari in a completely calm voice. She visibly recoils.

"P-Pardon me!?" she shouts. Shepard punches my shoulder.

"I'm not lying," I tell my girlfriend. She rolls her eyes and sighs. "Anyways, sounds awesome! What are we looking for, blue babe?" I can see the Asari gritting her teeth.

"There's been strange activity at the Peak 15 research facility," the Salarian takes over, effectively covering for the Asari. They're learning… I need to up my game. "We need you all to investigate it for clues." I smirk, once more hoping to catch them off guard.

"You need us to take them from behind and completely by surprise?" I suggest. Shepard bites her lip. "Utterly plow them until they surrender themselves and beg for mercy?" None of the Councilors say a word for a moment, though the Salarian's mouth is visibly agape. The Asari is the first to recover.

"…Yes…" she responds slowly. Oh dear, are those gears I can see turning in her head? "We require you to utterly dominate them until they can't resist you in the slightest." I feel a proud and predatory grin cross my face as the other two Councilors stare at their colleague, completely taken aback. I point towards her.

"You," I focus solely on the woman. "What's your name?" She seems surprised at my sudden interest.

"My name is Tevos," she replies cautiously. I smirk and give her a thumbs up.

"Tevos," I call her by her name. "I like you. Now, let mommy and daddy get down and dirty for you and show you how it's done." I can see the victorious look in Tevos' eyes, but she keeps a collected expression.

"Please, make a mess of everything in that facility and send them to their knees," she follows up. "Thank you for your service." With that, the connection cuts. As soon as they're gone, I leap into the air.

"Fuck yes!" I cheer. "I singlehandedly corrupted the goddamn Council!" I whoop and offer my hand to Shepard for a high five. She rolls her eyes, but weakly indulges me anyway with a smirk on her face.

"You're something else, Kai," she chuckles at me and rests her right hand on her hip. "I honestly didn't expect that." Her face becomes serious soon after those words, however. Right, time to work. "Joker, you've got the coordinates to Noveria?"

"I've got them, commander," he replies. "Just a side note, that kid's my new favorite." I grin.

"Aww, I love you too, buddy!" I reply to the intercom, though I'm not sure he heard me.

"We've got an ETA of three days, commander," Joker is back in business mode. "Personally, I'd take that time to cuddle that bear of yours if I were you. Do you want me to call the ground team together in the mess?"

"Do it," Shepard orders. Not even a second after, I can hear Joker's voice over the speakers outside the Briefing Room. Shepard glances at me and smiles. "Looks like we're going to be one step closer to hunting down Saren. Let's just hope that Benezia is still there when we arrive."

"I've got the feeling she will," I assure her. "Whatever's going on at Noveria probably has all of her attention. People like her and Saren don't stick around for small time assignments." I pause. "My thought is; who leaked that she was there, and why?" Shepard seems to ponder my words. "Doesn't it seem odd that suddenly we find her with no question as to why? We already know she's a wanted woman, so whomever leaked her must either not have Citadel jurisdiction to make the arrest, not strong enough to do it or doesn't have the resources which, once again suggests not under Citadel pay, or we could be looking at a trap."

"You suggest we proceed with caution?" Shepard asks. I nod.

"The Thorian took us by surprise from a random spotting of Geth and a distress signal," I tell her. "Finding Liara was based on a hunch and some rumors, and we ended up on a volcanic planet that could easily have been a trap. Waving around the location of one of our targets so easily? On a planet known for secret business transactions and loopholes? It's either a trap or somebody doesn't know how to shut up." Shepard nods slowly at this. "Not to mention that we still don't know what that critter was at the Thorian…" I trail off. Shepard seems to notice my thoughts going.

"You have an idea on what it is?" she asks me. I don't speak for a moment, but that seems to be enough for her. "What's your two credits?"

"I might have seen it before," I mumble. "But it was a long time ago, and I would never have thought to see them here. If it's what I think it is…" I shudder. "Then Saren and the Reapers may be the least of our problems…" I sigh and shake my head. "It might be a coincidence, though. It was only one critter that looked vaguely like what I'm thinking of, so I'm probably wrong." My eyes narrow. "We better hope that I'm wrong." Shepard seems to accept this and nods.

"We should probably go brief the team on our next mission," she tells me. "Noveria is notorious for having harsh weather that no one save Krogan can survive." She pauses. "There's going to be a lot of red tape to play with, Kai. Can you behave for me?" She gives me a hard look that suggests punishment if I answer with anything but 'yes'. I sigh and nod.

"Yeah," I tell her. I don't like it, though. I'm playing by Shepard's rules this time; and by extension, the rules of the Council. I'm sure Tevos knew this when she decided to play my game. She might have willingly started to speak my language, but she knew I'd soon be forced to speak in hers. That blue bitch… I'm so proud of her! "Let's go. Don't want to keep the crowd waiting, Fire Flower." Shepard lightly smacks the back of my head, but it isn't hard enough to even make me jerk forward. I can't help but smile as we walk down to the mess. It's a short walk, to be sure, but I enjoy it all the same. When we arrive, the entire ground team is already there, waiting for us. At the table, Wrex is sitting at the head, with Liara and Ash on either side of him. Garrus is leaning against the wall behind him, and Kaidan is sitting beside Ash, across from Tali. I smile at this scene. This is my family. My home. I'll never let anything happen to them.

I shudder, though. Virmire. That name clings to the back of my mind like an ugly second head. I can't help but look between Kaidan and Ash as Shepard takes a seat beside the former. _One of them will die_ , the voice in my head tells me. It sounds ugly, like a snake waiting to feast upon unwitting prey. _You can't save everyone. One of them will die._ No. I refuse to let that happen. I tune out Shepard's briefing as I argue with that damned feeling. I won't let any of them die. I can change the course of history. I have the power! _You have nothing,_ the voice tells me. No, not a voice. It's a feeling. An instinctual feeling of fear and dread; much like that those urges and feelings I had when I first came here. This one, though, is much more sinister. _You must sacrifice someone._ Then I'll sacrifice myself. There's a pause as the feeling recoils, as if surprised. I then sense amusement, but no more words or feelings come to mind. It fades as Shepard turns to me.

"Do you have anything to add, Kai?" she asks me. The rest of the team looks at me expectantly. I'm no longer just a goofball to them, I realize. I'm a leader. Someone they look up to. Maybe that jib at Tevos regarding Shepard and I being 'mommy' and 'daddy' wasn't so far off. Maybe…

"Just be careful," I tell them. "Be well prepared and well rested. I can assure you all that it will take several days for this mission, so we need everyone at their best." I give them all a smile. "Now let's show Saren that we can take down anyone he throws at us." The team hollers in excitement, though I notice Liara's voice is predictably absent. She seems very mellow. As the team disperses, I take a moment to grab her by the arm. She glances at me, but does not resist.

"Can I help you, Kai?" she asks me curtly. I glance at Shepard, who seems to be waiting for me, and motion for her to leave. She gets the point and heads in the direction of the Medbay. I sit Liara down once my girlfriend is out of earshot.

"Will you be ready?" I ask her simply. Liara seems to have expected something less direct, since she's at a loss for words for a moment. "She _is_ your mom, after all. Even if you haven't gotten along in recent times, she's always gonna be your mom. Will you be ok if we have to kill her?"

"I do not know," Liara replies honestly. "I cannot say much about her. She was very distant the last time we communicated, and even more so, now. I wish to believe that Saren truly is controlling her, but can I honestly say that? That my mother, a powerful Matriarch, is being controlled against her will? If so, then she must be suffering. Which is the lesser evil; to willingly follow an evil man, or to be controlled by his very whims, subject to the horrors of the atrocities you commit in his name?" She pauses, finished with her rant. I allow her time to breathe and to collect her bearings. As she recovers, she looks up at me once more. "Kai, if you were in my position, what would you do?"

"You're asking me? Hun, I'm hardly a fifth of your age," I tell her. The Asari shakes her head.

"With age may come wisdom, but it is not always in the correct areas," she tells me. "I know much about Prothean culture and designs, but not of family. I never knew my father, and my mother is obviously a factor in which I have little experience, recently. As our lives grow longer, the years meld together and one cannot discern reality with fiction. Being long lived as us is both a blessing and a curse, you see." She pauses. "Yet I digress. Again I ask, what would you do in my position? I wish to know the human perspective."

I chuckle at her question. "Honestly?" I start, "I never really got along with my folks, either. If I had to kill them cause they were being evil, I wouldn't bat an eye at it." Liara seems surprised at this. "But if I were _you_ ," I continue. "I imagine it would be hard. You seem like you were close to her once, right?" She nods at this. "Then I would harden my heart and get the job done." She gasps and makes to speak, but I raise my hand. "If she's doing this willingly, then there's no reasoning with her. She's already been at it too long to successfully negotiate. But if she's under Saren's control, there's no way she'll be able to go back to normal. If someone with the mental power of a Matriarch succumbs to being… brainwashed, I guess, then there's no way a few encouraging words from pretty little daughter will do much. She might return for fleeting moments, but any chance of a permanent return is gone. Do you understand?"

Liara is silent for a while, mulling over my words. She doesn't seem happy about them, but I can tell she's trying her best to think them over. Her expressions betray her rapidly changing emotions, though. Denial. Anger. Hopelessness. Shame. Fear. All of those and more cross over her features; before finally resting on despair. I reach over and rest my hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry that you have to hear that," I tell her. She looks up at me. "If she's doing this unwillingly, then I'm sure she'd want you to be the one to put her out of her misery. Can you do that? Will you free your mother?" Liara's eyes seem to harden with determination and anger. "Saren is using her. Twisting her mind. Will you allow that to continue?"

"Never," she whispers. "I'd never let my mother become a puppet." I give her a smile and pat her shoulder.

"Good," I hum. "Use that fire when we arrive. Your mother needs you." Are my words manipulative? Yep. Are they true? Sorta. But does she need this drive? Definitely. Liara needs to hear this so she has the strength to do what's right. Or at least what's needed. I stand and turn to head towards the Medbay, where Shepard is leaning against the doorframe and talking to Dr. Chakwas. I smile at them. I love my crew.

 **Shepard's POV**

Sometimes, I hate my crew. It's been two days since Kai and I became official, and everyone's already referring to him as my 'cuddle bear'. I'll have to make sure to confiscate all of Joker's porn later and post his Extranet browsing history in the mess. High enough where he'd have to jump to reach it. I feel an evil grin worthy of Kai's praise crossing my face. Yes, it would be a very suitable revenge. Speaking of Kai, he doesn't seem at all bothered by the nickname. If anything, he's actively encouraged it by cuddling me in public. I don't dislike it, but there's a time and a place for everything. Cuddling is meant for the bedroom, not in front of the entire crew. I've had to hit him a few times to beat that lesson into his skull. Of course he continues to do it anyway, but I guess he wouldn't be Kai if he wasn't an infuriating child. Some days I feel like his lover, and other days I feel like his mother. It's not a very fun feeling, to be honest. Well, it is; but I don't have to tell him that. I still have my pride, dammit!

Jeez, I'm even starting to think and speak like him. He's such a heavy presence that it's almost impossible not to be influenced by him in some way. I even caught Wrex referring to pyjaks as "irritating little critters". Wrex of all people! Not to mention that Ash has started calling her rifle "her baby" and started cradling it much the same way Kai cradles his sniper rifle. Is it me, or is my team slowly becoming more and more unhinged as this long-term mission goes on? We're all slowly losing our minds, and I don't think we care at all.

That's it. After Noveria, we're taking a shore leave. My crew and my team are both out of our minds, recently, and I need us all back in tip top shape. I'll take Kai out to a nice dinner, and we'll have an official date. What everyone else does won't be my problem. I can finally be Shepard the woman and not Shepard the Spectre or Shepard the Commander.

As I think about it, that sounds really nice. Just being myself with my boyfriend, out on a relaxing dinner date. Maybe we can even go shopping for non-military items as well. That sounds wonderful.

I quickly pull myself back to the present and look down at the Galaxy Map below me. "We're approaching Noveria now, commander," Joker announces to me. "Descent is green. We have a mild snowstorm obstructing the landing area, but nothing too major." There's a pause as we enter the atmosphere, and I make my wait to the cockpit. I can hear Joker announcing our descent and arrival. "This is SR-1 Normandy, requesting a dock at Noveria Station 2113. We have Spectre Shepard onboard and are on official Council business. Sending verification, now."

"SR-1 Normandy, this is Noveria Station 2113 control," is the reply over the radio. "Verification has been received and acknowledged. Proceed to dock four. Coordinates have been sent to your vessel."

"Coordinates received, now approaching dock four at forty-eight kph," Joker replies. I can see a hangar opening in the distance. It has bright red lights so we can see exactly where it is in the storm. "Now making final arrival; please standby." We approach slowly, with the Normandy swaying in the wind the entire time. I can tell that Joker is fighting the controls as we approach. As soon as the nose of the ship enters the hangar, the back end lurches with the wind and the port side of the hull drags into the metal doors of the dock. Joker and I both wince at the grinding sound as he compensates for the wind change, though he's muttering curses to himself. "Got fucking lazy," he grumbles. "Didn't fucking measure the wind changes in my goddamn head and now look at my baby." I ignore his pet name for the ship as Joker effortlessly slides the rest of the Normandy into the dock. The hangar doors close behind us, and the locks latch us to the dock. I see the light in front of the view port turn green, signifying it's safe for us to disembark.

"Go ahead and call the ground team up," I tell Joker. "And grab some repairs while we're out. I want a full damage report by tonight as well as costs for repairs before you sign anything."

"You got it, commander," Joker sighs, obviously feeling tired. He's been flying for days straight; all the more reason to encourage a shore leave. I'm sure he'll get plenty of rest during it. "All ground team members, get your asses up and off my goddamn ship. I repeat, get your lazy asses off my ship." As soon as he ceases talking, he turns to look at me. "Should I expect retribution for that? From Krogan kind or otherwise?"

"Probably."

"Shit, I should really get some Krogan proof walls between me and the rest of the ship," he grumbles. "Hell, maybe it'll even keep your cuddle bear out if I'm lucky."

"Fat chance of that happening," I reply, rolling my eyes. "Somehow, Kai can get almost anywhere in the ship. Tali suggested that he's crawling through the vents, while Garrus thinks he's sabotaging cameras."

"And what do you think?"

"Well, he calls himself a ninja…" I trail off, getting a snort from my pilot. "Make sure you get those reports in to me, Joker. If not, I'll sic Kai on you." I see him shudder before I head to the decontamination chamber. When I arrive there, I find that Ashley, Kaidan, and Wrex have already arrived. I can see Liara and Garrus walking over from the stairs, with Kai trailing behind them beside Tali. I wait for everyone to arrive before I nod, half to them and half to myself. Wordlessly, we leave the Normandy into the chilly air of Noveria. Despite being inside, it still feels incredibly cold. As we approach what I assume to be customs, I notice Kai has an evil grin on his face, and Garrus is trying to put the entire team between them. I inwardly groan. "Kai made another Explosive Baby, didn't he?"

"Muhahahahaha…" Kai laughs evilly in a surprisingly deep voice, and I almost think I can hear Garrus whimper. "Tis not a baby any longer! I have created a new abomination! The Explosive Teenager!" I sigh and close my eyes, almost feeling the incoming headache. I guess if all else fails…

"You aren't allowed to use it unless I say so," I tell him with a stern face. Kai pouts, but doesn't argue against me. I smile at that. It's good to be the queen.

 **Joker's POV**

"Report this, report that," I grumble as I sit at the helm of my precious frigate. Over ten thousand credits worth of damage to her port hull because I got distracted for one goddamn minute. With my luck, the commander'll take that money out of _my_ pockets. Why can't she pay for her own damn ship? It's hers, anyway! I mean, she's a Spectre for fuck's sake! She's gotta be making bank for that, right? Bah, who am I kidding? I bet all that money's gonna be spent on lube, pretty soon. I seriously called her and Kai getting together when I first met the guy, you know. He just screamed 'charming'. Like yours truly, of course. I don't hate the guy, either way. He's alright. Not the kind of guy I'd bring on an all important mission to hunt down the Galaxy's Most Wanted, but it isn't really my call, now, is it?

I sigh, though, as all the numbers float on the viewscreen in front of me. Contrary to the commander's belief, I don't just look up porn on this thing. Only most of the time. Other times it's all business. I didn't become the best pilot in the Alliance by being a slacker, after all. I know my way around numbers, controls, and haggling like the best of them. I'd _definitely_ need to knock this price down as far as I could. A complete vertical breech of the hull, with several plates of armor that needed replacing and even more electronics that needed the same treatment. The storm didn't just knock us into the doors, it _slammed_ us into them. As far as anyone knows, that door fucking went nuts and attacked us.

"How's it looking?" I hear Pressly ask over my shoulder. He's a decent XO, though I don't really get to talk to him much. There isn't really much to do on a warship when there's no war. It's mostly the commander and her team that get the action. Pressly and I kinda just jerk off in the meantime and wait for the boss to call us in.

"Not too good," I admit with a sigh. "These repairs will drain our credits faster than you on poker night." I show him the pricings. "Should I call in the hanger maintenance now or should I wait until Kai comes back so he can do the talking?" Pressly thinks for a moment.

"I have a family friend who sometimes comes here for business," he tells me. "I'll see if I can't give her a call to get us some smaller numbers. She's good at convincing people to lower prices."

"Oh? That kind of woman?" I smirk. Pressly shakes his head and scowls at me.

"Joke all you want, Jeff," he grumbles, "but don't let her hear you suggest that. She can have a hell of a temper when she wants something. If she promises she'll get you something, she'll do it."

"So who is this mystery woman?" I ask; a bit curious now. "Old fling?" The XO only scoffs at that before he walks away, pulling up his omni-tool. I turn back to my viewscreen and yawn. Well, time to beat the ol' joystick.

 **Kai's POV**

"I'm just saying, we probably could have taken a second Mako," I tell Shep. As it is, this tank-like vehicle is cramped as fuck! Still, even at this, Shepard is silent. She's been like this ever since we got back together with information on my part and a garage pass on hers. I simply told her what my team had learned; that there were experiments that might have involved Rachni in Peak 15. To be honest, I knew this beforehand since this had been a game before, but I still had to "find out" all over again since my team didn't like the idea of splitting up in the business district of what essentially was space Los Angeles. Then again, if I were more of a soldier than a devilishly handsome and charming smooth talker, I'd be uncomfortable being alone at the port as well. "Shep." She keeps her eyes on the road. I sigh and turn to Garrus, who shrugs in return.

"Shep, if you don't stop being a sad potato, I'll be forced to paint Joker's seat with super adhesive when he isn't looking, and then I'll tell him that you told me to," I threaten her lightly. Shepard blinks at this before giving me a look that seems to suggest that she wasn't quite sure what she just heard me say.

"Wait, what?" she fumbles. I grin cheekily.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" I chuckle and turn back to the road. "Geth!" I wince as we run over the robotic AI platform, hearing the crunching of metal and the bumping motion as it dies. "Er…, nevermind. Roadkill."

"As long as it's killing them, then running them over is fine," Tali says a bit curtly.

"What about the Mako?" I ask. "Did you ask _her_ feelings about being used as a glorified battering ram?"

"Kai, I don't think the Mako really cares," Ash bemuses. My eyes go wide and I gasp before I stroke the door to my right.

"Shh… the bad lady didn't mean that, Bertha- Geth!" _Clunk!_ "Shep, stop abusing my baby!"

"And just what am _I_?" She asks in return. I pause.

"My… bae?" I drawl cautiously. Shepard does not seem amused. "Shut up! You can never know the love between a man and his highly fragile yet surprisingly destructive super tank!"

"I thought we left this behind with Joker and the Normandy. Oy vey," Kaidan can't hide his smile, though. "Next thing we know, Kai's going to decorate the driver's seat with bells and whistles."

"To be fair, I put those on Joker's seat," I admit.

"He wasn't complaining," Garrus points out. "In fact, I think he put even more of them on until Shepard told him to remove them all."

"Four hundred tiny jingling bells," Shepard growls. "And he wouldn't stop swerving; just so they would ring! You two aren't stuck in the CIC with him nearly all day!"

"So I probably shouldn't mention the cool pet crab I ordered on the extranet to put in our room?" I ask. Shepard's face is glowing; and not with orgasmic bliss.

"YOU _WHAT_!?" she screams at me. "We're on a delicate, galaxy risking operation and you bought a damn _crab_!?" She pauses. "Where the hell did you even get the credits from!? I was sure I locked your bank savings after the twenty pounds of ramen noodles you bought for the mess! I donated half of that to a shelter in the Citadel and the cargo hold is _still_ overcrowded with that stuff!"

"Hey, it was a great investment!" I protest back. "And who gave you the right to donate my ramen!?"

"My ship; my rules," she counters. "Now where did you get the credits from?" I stay silent. " _Kai_!"

"It was Wrex!" I panic and admit. She glares at the Krogan, who glares right back.

"Really!?" she shouts. Wrex shrugs.

"I was planning on eating the crab, anyway," he grumbles. I shoot him a betrayed look.

"Nooooo! Not Tamatoa!" I cry out, making Wrex smirk. "He's too tiny and young to feed a brutish thug like you!"

"I'll even douse the little sucker in salt before I eat him," Wrex continues. "Maybe even boil him in a pot filled with chicken broth."

"Y-You _fiend_!" I gasp. "Those are two completely contradicting flavors! And you _don't_ put salt on food before you try it, you uncultured swine! My baby deserves _better_!" I can see everyone else is smiling; including Shepard. Mission accomplished. However, for good measure… "Fine! If you eat Tamatoa, then I get to look at your porn stash!" He raises an eyebrow at that. "What? I bet Krogan females are secretly all sexy under that… Wait, do they wear armor? And come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen a female Krogan… Are you guys asexual!?" I hear Shepard snicker at my faux stupidity, though I'm sure she's wondering if I'm really as dumb as I act. I glance outside, seeing that we're approaching Peak 15. "By the way, who's been manning the gun this whole time?"

"That would be me," Liara speaks up. "You are very welcome." I shoot her a winning smile; opposite of your drooped eyelids and overall disappointed look. "Your charms may work on the commander, Kai, but I am not susceptible to them."

"Hun, nobody can resist moi," I smile at her as we come to a stop. "Even the great Commander Shepard couldn't resist me!" Said great commander punches me in the arm. "I'm not lying," I chuckle through grit teeth. Damn, that girl is strong!

"Let's move in, people," Shepard tells us before stepping outside. Oh damn, it's cold! The others must have similar thoughts, since we all hustle inside. Alrighty. A base full of Rachni? Piece of cake!

 **Joker's POV**

"You're _absolutely_ sure that she told you to meet her here?" I ask Pressly, hobbling along the long stretch of hall. We're in the business district, just off the port, and heading to a cluster of offices that supposedly Pressly's contact works at. I can't help but doubt him, though. What on earth did he need the crippled guy for? I'm better in the ship, not here on this cold, stupid, boring, and downright scary planet. Still, he's the boss when the commander's away. I guess I actually have to listen to him, for once.

"I am," the man tells me. "Office 204, she said. I'll go in and negotiate, and you stand there and look pretty for once in your life." I bite back a remark. Shepard is pretty good about that stuff, but Pressly kinda has a stick up his ass. I roll my eyes instead and stick out my tongue at him behind his back. These offices are all so boring looking. You'd think they'd take the Earth route and put cat posters on their doors, at least. I shift on my crutches. They're specifically designed for people with my condition, but even now they're still dangerous. One wrong move; one twitch that sends these things to the ground too hard and _crack!_ my shoulder socket breaks. I chuckle. I love overstating my disease. I'm not nearly as fragile as I make it out to be. If I was, then I'd be fucked with every step. No, I can take a few light taps and I can walk a few paces without my crutches, but these bad boys have shock absorbers along the rods that make it safer for me to move around. I just gotta be careful, is all. I'm not made of porcelain, I'm made of… hollow wood. Just slightly tougher than porcelain.

203… 204, there it is. Well hey, look at that! A cat poster on the door! I'm liking this person already. "Here we are," Pressly announces, entering the open door. Inside is a small secretary desk with what I assume is the door to the office to the right of the desk. Behind the desk is a young woman with long, wavy black hair and olive skin. She looks pretty enough, and seems pretty focused on whatever's on her omni-tool. Actually, she kinda looks like one of those southeast Asian princesses in vids. That may or may not include porn. "Excuse me, is Ms. Gainsborough in?"

The woman looks up from her omni-tool and blinks at us. "Do you have an appointment, Mr…?" she asks slowly. Damn, she looks even more uncomfortable than I do. She's all cozied up in a heavy winter jacket, but it looks like it's two sizes too big for her. That, and her tone seriously tells me that she doesn't like working here.

"Pressly," the XO replies. The woman nods and indicates to the door. Then she looks at me.

"What about him?" she asks. I shrug and sigh.

"I'm just here to be arm candy," I tell her. She looks me over and hums.

"If I were your boss, I'd fire you," she says simply. My mouth drops. What the hell!? Who gave this chick permission to diss on the guy with crutches? "Maybe I'd take you in as an intern."

"Who the hell do you think you are, princess?" I grumble as Pressly walks towards the office door. He seems like he wants out of here before I proverbially kick this woman's ass. That sweet, fine, exotic ass. The woman points to the nameplate on her desk, and I give it a good look. "What the hell kind of name is… Moaninga?" She scoffs at me.

"It's _Moana_ , haole," she bites. Yowzers! "Aside from being bad eye candy, what're you and your boyfriend on Noveria for?" Oh, she's _good_. Too bad I'm the resident master on the Normandy. Kai doesn't count. He's just weird.

"Top secret mission," I brag. "Little civilians like you don't need to know about it." Moana smirks at me.

"Oh, so they let the cripple fight?" she asks me. I smirk right back in return.

"No, this cripple flies the ship like a fucking pro," I correct her. "Because I _am_ a fucking pro." Her eyes widen.

"You fly a ship!?" she exclaims, almost leaping over the desk. "That's so cool!" I can't help but laugh at her enthusiasm. She's almost like Kai in that regard. I roll my eyes and chuckle, motioning to the door with my head.

"Since we're stuck here, you wanna get something to eat?" I ask her. She gives me a coy smile.

"Oh, Mr. Pilot, are you asking me on a date?" she asks me teasingly. Heh, want to play that game, do you? Looks like Kai isn't the only one with skill to pick up the ladies.

"And what if I am?" I ask her back. She laughs, though.

"Then too bad!" she smirks. "But, I _will_ let you treat me to some lunch." Moana stands up. "I'm due for my lunch break, anyways. I know a place in the civilian district that's pretty good." I roll my eyes and scowl. What a little tease. Either way, when she walks out the door, I end up following her. She has this natural stride about her that I like. Not really a sway of the hips, but more like she's light on her feet; something you don't see a lot of in the Alliance. Her hair looks like it's swaying in a soft breeze while she walks, too, even though I know there isn't one inside. If I had to describe it; it's like she's the embodiment of the outside. Like a beach, or something.

"So," I try and make smallvtalk with her. I can tell she wants to move faster, but is keeping slow for my sake. I want to be offended, but that's actually kinda nice. Even Pressly usually forges on ahead of me. "Where ya from, princess?"

"Not a princess," she replies almost instinctually. I cock an eyebrow at that. "I'm from a human colony," she tells me simply. "We were nomadic, though. It was a water covered planet that I can't remember what the Alliance called it. We… kept to ourselves, mostly. The island I was born on was called Motunui." The crowds are thinning out, and the woman finally has room to walk beside me, which she does. "We still had boats there. It was way more enjoyable then just flying around in a spaceship.

" _Just_ flying around?" I scoff. "Flying the Normandy has been one of the best things I've ever done. I mean, besides struggling to go anywhere that's not on the ship." I give her a hard look. Nobody disses my baby for a piece of aquatic crap nobody uses anymore. "I bet being on a boat is nowhere near as good as being on a ship." Moana looks at her feet. I notice that the cold steel floor's been replaced with carpeting, and the walls are colored a light orange instead of pale blue. This is the civilian district? Looks pretty nice.

"I wouldn't know," she tells me. "I… wasn't exactly conscious when I came here. Ms. Gainsborough found me and offered me the job here and taught me everything I know about the galaxy." She was taken against her will? Damn, that sucks.

"So why don't you leave?" I ask. Moana motions to a restaurant to the side that has a giant soup bowl type sign on it. _For The Soul_ is the place's name. It looks pretty clean inside, and there are a few people eating there; even kids.

"Let's get some food before I tell you my life's story," she smirks while she talks, before entering the restaurant. Inside, I can smell different ingredients in the soup bowls I pass by. It's warmer in here as well, and it just has a warm feel. The tile floor is a rusty red color, and the walls are a faded orange. I can see steam coming from the top of the kitchen door, which has been left open. It's probably hot in there. Being on a frozen planet like this, it's no wonder people must love to be here. It's all nice and homey.

"Oi! Order up!" one of the guys at the counter shouts. "Miso ramen with extra pork and chicken noodle soup!" An old human lady gets up from behind me and walks up to the counter, a light smile on her face. She thanks the man and takes the two bowls back to her table, setting one in front of a little Asari girl that I assume is her granddaughter.

I follow Moana up to the counter. "Well, if it isn't the little island girl," the rather big man smiles at her, though. His dusty grey hair is tied back in a ponytail, and he has a goatee. He's like the epitome of wise old mentors. He then looks at me. "I see you made a friend."

"He's just here for business," Moana counters him. "He's paying for lunch, though. Aren't you?" She gives me an expectant look. I start to open my mouth to say fuck no, but then one look at the huge man behind her is enough to have me nodding.

"Yeah, my pleasure," I force out. Dammit, this is gonna come out of my pocket. I was saving up for some leather seating! And something adhesive proof so Kai can't stick me to my chair. "I'll have… some beef and carrot soup."

"Clam chowder, for me," Moana tells me. "No crab." I smirk.

"Allergic to crab?" I ask her. She flushes and shakes her head while taking the number the old man hands her.

"Just some bad experiences with one," she tells me. "Almost killed me and my friend."

"Damn, how big was this crab?"

"About twice the size of this restaurant," she says it with such a straight face, I kinda have to believe her. Her planet must be fucking crazy! We take a seat by the back wall, and I lean my crutches against the table. I can't really twist my body like most people. You know; _snap!_ goes my spine. "How about you? Where do you call home?"

"Home is the Normandy," I tell her. "And the crew's my family. But if you're asking about where I was born, then that's a different question." She keeps silent, urging me to keep going. I'm happy to oblige. It's not every day that someone realizes how amazing I am and wants to learn more. "I was actually born on Earth. Spent some time there as a troublemaker. You know, pranks and that kind of stuff. Had to be real careful about it though. One wrong move and the kids I'd screw with would beat me up and break every bone in my body. Literally." Moana winces at that. "Glad I left that dump behind. Cramped my style, ya know?"

"I wish I could leave this place," the woman sitting in front of me tells me. "It's so boring here, and I want to see the rest of the galaxy. It sounds so cool!"

"Believe me, it is," I tell her. "First time I saw the planets from a distance was awesome. But don't you have work here? You can't just leave, can you?"

"Well…" Moana trails off. "Ms. Gainsborough is a very understanding woman. I'm sure that if I asked, she would let me go. As long as she knew I would be fine, I mean." Moana sighs. "But I don't have a way off planet and I don't know anything about being on a ship." Awww, God dammit. Kai's been making me watch too many romantic porn vids. I'm getting sappy and soft. I'm not actually thinking of recommending her to the commander so she can come with us, am I? Of course not! I mean, what use would a former sailor be on a spaceship?

"How long did it take you to learn how to be on a boat?" I ask her.

"Only about a week," she tells me. "I had a good teacher and lots of time." I frown a bit. That's… actually really impressive. Shit, that's super impressive.

"And you did it yourself?"

"I sailed by myself after learning; yes. And I taught others," she tells me. I hum and think a moment. She's pretty bearable, and easy on the eyes. She's got an attitude, but it's no worse than the commander's…

"I'll tell you what," I begin, making her look at me. "Next time I see the commander, I'll ask her to let you come along with us. How's that sound?"

"W-What? Wait, I don't know how to act on a ship!" she protests.

"Don't worry, I'll teach you everything you'll need to know about being productive on _my_ ship," I tell her. "Besides, we have a lot of friendly faces who can help you out. And I'm almost positive you'll need all the help you can get. You scratch the paint on my baby, and I'll have you spaced out the airlock." Moana winces, but her eyes are sparkling.

"This is great! I can finally be on a spaceship and get off this dumb rock! Whoohoo!"

 **Kai's POV**

Ahh, the sweet comforts of Peak 15. One tram ride later, and we've found ourselves on the ground floor of the interior of the huge building. This place is absolutely massive! It took us hours to even get the tram working. It's night time, now, actually. I know there'll be survivors up ahead on the floor above us with cozy places to sleep, so I want to get there as soon as possible. I can feel my eyes getting heavy. "Sheeeeeep," I groan. "How much further?"

"We should first make our way upwards to the Science Station. If there's anyone alive, they'll probably be there," she tells us. She motions to the elevators at the end of the room. Wrex grumbles.

"It's about time," he says. "I thought I'd end up freezing to death back there. I may be a Krogan, but even we have limits to what we can handle."

"Oh, suck it up, you big baby," Ashley teases him. He bares his teeth at her, but it doesn't have any aggression to it. "Kai wasn't complaining. Are you saying that the 'little green pyjak' is tougher than you?"

"I'll bet he has two sets of quads," Garrus eggs on as we walk across the station. "After all, he took a bullet to the shoulder without complaining when we first found him. Maybe he's part Krogan, Wrex. You ever think about that?"

Wrex snorts. "The day I call that kid a Krogan is the day the Genophage is cured," he tells us. Oh, if you only knew, my friend. "He's tough for a human, but still nothing compared to a Krogan."

"What about Shepard?" I ask him. "She can probably kick your ass in fifty different ways." We arrive at the elevator, and I press the button to call it down. Wrex, though, snorts once more.

"Is that so? Maybe you'd like to bet on that?"

"No, he wouldn't," Shepard replies for me. She shoots me a dirty look. "I'd rather not fight with one of my squad members." I roll my eyes and give her a quick peck on the cheek, making her flush.

"And yet you hit me all the time," I inform her. She only smirks at this.

"That's because you're my boyfriend. I'm allowed to abuse you any way I see fit," she counters. I hang my head in faux depression as we enter the even _colder_ elevator. Jesus! Not only does it smell like bleach and sanitizer in here, but it's freaking freezing!

"Hah! Even the mighty have their balls in the purses of their women," Wrex taunts me. I shoot him a dirty look, but he only shrugs and tries to hide his smile.

"Bite me," I tell him. He stays silent as the doors close and the elevator moves upwards. "You've been awfully silent, guys." I turn to Kaidan, Liara, and Tali.

"Are you kidding? I'd rather watch the show than be a part of it," my fellow human responds.

"Traitor," I growl. The doors open, and we find ourselves being aimed at by a squad of humans.

"Thank God, you guys are… mostly human," the one in the center sighs. "I'm Captain Ventralis. We've been holed up here for weeks fighting off those… _things_." He speaks with a bite to his tone. "Please tell me that you brought backup."

"It's just us, captain," Shepard speaks up while the rest of us leave the elevator and fan out behind her. "What's going on, here? We were told to investigate on behalf of the Council." The captain seems surprised at this.

"The Council?" he asks. "I'd thought they'd already sent that Matriarch here." Ah, there's the key words. "She was supposed to do something about those- get down!" More Rachni. Instead of getting down, the team all split up behind cover. It's a massacre as soon as those massive bugs crawl in through the floor and walls. With so much firepower on our side, killing them is a walk in the park. Their dying screams before they explode fills the room. It's almost deafening. "You… You all are pretty capable." The captain seems at a loss for words.

"We are also here searching for that Matriarch," Liara speaks up. "She is my mother, and we wish to speak with her." The captain thinks for a moment.

"Well, the last I know, she was going down to the Hot Labs to investigate the infestation," the captain informs us. "If you go down there, you'll probably find her. I can give you the keycard for access."

"But sir," one of the other guards protests. "Can we really trust them? I mean, after what happened…?"

"These seem like a good group," Ventralis responds, reaching into one of his pockets. He hands Shepard a card. "This will get you in. If you can find the Matriarch and help her out, that would be great." Shepard grimaces, but nods.

"I'll do what I can with her," she replies. Vague. Smooth. "But we need a day to rest. Are there any extra beds in here? My team is cold, hungry, and tired." Ventralis clears the way for us to go further in.

"Just head in. We still have a lot of resources left to spare, if you need it," he tells us. I can't help but think… doesn't he betray us, later? Ah, I don't have to worry about that, now. As we walk in, I notice one of the guards reviewing security footage in the next room on some monitors. It's blurry, but… are those glowing yellow eyes on the screen? Hm. Maybe for future investigation.

 **Joker's POV**

Lunch was nice, but it ended up being dinner as well. Man, this girl can talk! And what a mouth on her, too! Turns out, I _did_ get her life story. I mean, raised in a tropical wonderland? Meeting a supposed demigod? Facing off against a giant crab and a fire monster lady thing? That's nuts! I mean, she's probably embellishing a lot of it, but damn if it isn't interesting. Actually, wasn't Tomatoa the name of the crab Kai bought? I can ask him later.

"So, I ended up leading my people as voyagers across the planet. We discovered new islands and places to live," she tells me. "Some would stay on those islands to populate them, and we eventually had a whole cluster of villages all across the world." It's hard to believe that _she_ was actually a leader. "When I arrived here, it became easy to draw the parallels between home and space."

"Well, we call them ships for a reason," I tell her. She tilts her head at this. "On Earth, ships were the names of huge boats. A lot of species compare space to their own oceans and water. Dunno why. I'd say that spaceships are more like space submarines. We're not floating on anything. Gravity is weak to nonexistent. You can't breathe it. And it's in three dimensions instead of two. It's a sub… a subastro, or something like that." Moana giggles, and I can't help but smile at it. Jeez, are all women so easy to entertain? "Ya know, kid," I speak up. "When I get the commander to let you join us, how'd you like to be my navigator? It's like being a wayfinder, but a lot more stressful. You have no days off since you'd be our only navigator, your pay can be little to nonexistent, and you're pretty much working on electronic devices all day."

"So…like my current job," she points out.

"Exactly like it," I tell her. "Except the office moves."

"Sounds great," her smile is gentle.

"Are you offering a position without the commander's permission?" I hear Pressly behind me. I smile as he comes forward to face me.

"Oh hey there, XO," I greet him; using his title so he's reminded that he's below Shep. "How'd that meeting go? We get the prices dropped?"

"Yes, he did," I hear a mature, female voice behind me. Pressly motions for her to step forward. When I see her, she's gotta be in her mid fourties. Her hair is long and elegant, tied into a long, spiraling ponytail with light brown bangs framing the sides of her face. Her light blue eyes are soft, yet have a deadly gleam to them that suggests power. She's dressed in a deep red business suit with golden buttons, and a flamingo pink pencil skirt that goes down to her ankles. It looks like she has hiking boots on as well. Brown leather. Damn, that's expensive. She must be loaded.

The woman also has a golden cross necklace, and a pink bow that ties her hair back. She smells like the forest mixed in with a waterfall of some sort, and has a green bracelet around her left wrist with a sunflower on the back. "It's good to meet you. My name is Aerith Gainsborough, and I'm the head of the Executive Board of the Noveria Development Corporation."

 **Kai's POV**

Rest and relaxation. Those aren't the words you expect to say when visiting a frigid planet where experimental research takes place. But still, I'm feeling damn relaxed under this heating light. I can tell that Wrex is of the same mind. I can see Liara and Kaidan all waiting their turns as well. "How's the cold?" I tease them.

"It's great," Kaidan replies. "Maybe you should come and feel it for yourself. I'd hate to hog it all. I'll take your place under the light while you try the cold out." I smirk.

"I think I'm good," I get up anyway, though. "Your turn, Liara." She nods, standing up to try out the heating light. "I'm going to walk around, see what's up." Tali and Shep both went to make a cure for the sick folks in the infirmary while the rest of us relax. It's nothing too big, but I remember that an Asari Commando attacks them during it. I hope they'll be ok. Bah, this is Shepard. Of course she'll be fine! Still, I'm gonna look around. "Wanna join me, Wrex?"

"I'm going to relax right here for the rest of my life," he replies. "Try and move me, and I'll pull your bowels out through your mouth." I wink at Kaidan.

"Looks like you're waiting for Tali, then," I tell him. He groans. The base itself is only slightly cold, here. They have heating lamps all over the place, so it's tolerable. It's also a lot more crowded than in the game. Scientists rush from one place to another, trying to patch up walls our continue research that was being done before the Rachni invaded. Still, something seems weird about this place. Something is off. There's a lot of soldiers walking around too, but they seem bored. Like they were doing something else before, but lost the reason to be here. I shrug, though, and head back to the monitors I saw yesterday. Maybe I can see what was going on with those eyes. As I make my way back, Ash joins me.

"Where you headed, kiddo?" she asks me. I roll my eyes at the stupid label.

"Just gonna see what's up with security," I tell her. It doesn't take long to reach the security room. I see a different guard reviewing the information and taking notes. "Hey," I wave. He turns to me and nods. "Mind if I see what you're up to?"

"Just a project that got loose," he says. "Brought it in a few months ago. Said they found it in the snow outside, and they wanted to run some tests." I take a closer look. Man, it's busting down walls and all sorts of stuff. A lot of soldiers and scientists are being impaled by its… wings…? "Whatever it is, it got pissed and got loose. As far as we know, it left the facility after it escaped. Good riddance, too. That thing gave me the chills whenever it looked at me." That's… carapace… It almost looks like hair, but not quite. As I observe the footage looping, looking over a hallway as it bursts through a wall and murders everything onscreen, I get a better look at it. Glowing yellow eyes… lightly tinted facial skin… carapace hair and skeletal wings… No… No, it can't be… I have to be wrong! I get in even closer. "Hey!" No! No, no no! I grab the man by the front of his uniform and slam him against the wall.

"You had the single most dangerous person to ever exist in this galaxy or otherwise, and you just _let her go_!?" I scream into his face. "You don't know what you've just done! You've doomed the entire fucking galaxy!"

"Kai!" Ashley tries to pry me away from the scared me. These idiots! "Kai, calm down!"

"They let a monster loose, woman!" I growl back. "She can destroy the entire known galaxy as we know it, and we have no fucking clue where she is!"

"Who? Who is she?" I can tell she's looking on the monitor, trying to see who it is. I shiver with fear. That thing on Feros… I was right… I mumble two words as I feel chills fill my body. If she's loose… Then we're all already dead…

"Kerrigan's here…"


	6. Chapter 5: The Matriarch And The Music

_A/N: The three cameos in the last chapter will be vastly important. They may return in time, or very soon. I don't even know! But the Queen of Blades… I've been planning an SC crossover for a long time, and I can finally use it! For those wondering, there will be a LOT of crossover. All of them are planned and a few of them ruined by commenters. Kasumi was originally supposed to be replaced by Miku, yes, but now I'm changing that! Hah! Suck on that, readers! I'm joking, I love all of you!_

 **Chapter Five: The Matriarch And The Music**

 **Shepard's POV**

I yawn while I pour a disturbingly green liquid into the beaker on the heater. While making the cure is easy enough with these notes, it's still a tedious job. Tali is in the other corner, handling another portion of the cure. We've already finished twenty vials of it, but we need at least fifty for there to be enough for everyone in the infirmary. Things are silent between us, and it's not a calming silence. Tali's been acting off around me ever since Kai and I started dating. The reason she's here and not Kai is because I _know_ she's good with equations and formulas. Kai… isn't. At least, not unless he absolutely has to be. In this case, that's probably a no.

I really don't like this awkwardness between Tali and I. We never talk anymore, and she just obeys my orders when I give them. I feel bad. She's young, and was in love. I don't regret starting my relationship with Kai, though. If I could do it all again, I would. "Tali," I break the silence, still working on the chemicals in front of me. Tali stays silent for a moment before she responds.

"Yes, commander?" I wince at her broken tone. It must be taking all of her willpower not to break down and cry.

"You know that Kai does really like you, right?" I ask her. She's quiet; the only sounds coming from her is that of her walking around to grab another chemical. "He talks about you all the time. I'm surprised that he chose me over you, actually. It seems like he admires you." I hear Tali stop and freeze at those words. It's the truth, though. "He's always talking about what you're doing with the Normandy, and how it benefits us. He talks about how you have a cute voice, and it makes him want to squeal and hug you." I pause, letting a bitter smile cross my lips. "I… I'm actually a little bit jealous of you."

"Why?" her voice sounds hollow. "So I have a voice he likes. He chose you over me. I'm ok with that."

"No, you aren't," I correct her, sighing. "I… He chose me because I made the first move."

"You don't know-"

"I _do_ know," I growl a bit. Kai's a great guy, but he's too honest sometimes. He doesn't know when to shut up unless it's incredibly annoying. "He told me, himself. You think he was blind to the way you act around him?" Tali remains silent, but I can hear her continuing her work behind me. "He said… that the only reason he picked me instead of you, is because I made the first move. He told me that he'd have been happy with either one of us." There's silence between us once more, and I continue working on my set of the cure. I finish my twelfth vial, and start work on my thirteenth.

"What's it like? Dating him, I mean," Tali's voice rings over towards me. "It looks like he doesn't treat you any differently than he used to."

"That's because he mostly doesn't," I sigh. It's one of his annoying qualities. "I think to him, the words boyfriend and girlfriend are just titles. Things you wear like a badge of honor with a few perks, but not much else." I pause. "At least in front of others. He's a lot more intimate behind closed doors, which more than makes up for his… casual attitude in public." I chuckle a little. "I think he's a little embarrassed to show his feelings outside of a joking manner in front of others. Like people will make fun of him for it."

Tali remains quiet, and we once more fall into an uncomfortable silence. I let my hands keep working, but my brain is trying to think of other things. I feel like I'm rubbing it in when I tell Tali what Kai's like when dating. It doesn't feel good.

"What's he like when you're alone?" she asks. I grimace. She sounds upset. Well, more than before. "Be honest with me. Please, I just… I have to know. I feel like I'll regret not knowing…" I take a deep breath and sigh.

"He's very hands on," I admit. "He likes hugging and cuddling, and he likes to get into your business." I smile, remembering how curious he was about how I ran all the finances for the ship. "He's very flirty, too. It's like every time he speaks, he's being either suggestive or complimenting me. It's hard not to take it for granted, actually." I hear Tali hum in thought behind me. "He's very random, just like how he is in public. Some times he wants to do nothing but talk, and others he doesn't want to speak a word, and just let actions do the talking for us. I can never tell which is which at first." Tali is silent once more.

"I should have made the first move," she mumbles. "I can't say I'm ok with this… But.. for his sake, I'll try." I glance over at her, and I see that she's looking at me. She nods, and returns back to work. I smile as I do the same. We might not be on the best of terms right now, but it's better than what it was. As I continue making my vials, I start to hum a small tune that Kai likes to sing every so often. He says he wants to be a writer, but he could probably do well as a singer as well. Or, maybe an actor. I smile at his little show on the drive here. I don't doubt that he's bought a crab, but somehow he managed to drag me into his little performance. I didn't really mind. A little pet might be nice to have on the ship. Still, it was fun pretending to be angry at him.

"Ooo bee doo… I wanna be like you-u-u… I wanna walk like you, talk like you, too-oo-oo…" I sing softly the song Kai likes for a moment. I blink, though, when the door slams open and in walks the Asari from the Science Labs up above. Well. This just got a bit more interesting.

 **Ashley's POV**

It's been several hours since Kai had his panic attack, and he hasn't left his and Garrus' quarters since then. Everyone here's been concerned about him, but he has the door locked tight and he refuses to come out. He acts like it's the end of the world. Whoever this Kerrigan is, he's absolutely terrified of her. It kind of has me and a few of the others scared. Kai's always been pretty fearless. At least, that's how we saw him. He's the guy who always keeps his cool and makes jokes about danger. But this? This is a completely different person than the leader we all know. The guy who stands up side by side with Shepard.

Kerrigan. It sounds like a human name, but whatever was on those monitors wasn't human. In fact, none of us have ever seen or heard of her before. It makes it a bit herd to believe that Kai knows her so well. She looked tough alright, but she didn't look like anything we couldn't handle. Besides, it's just one creature. There are eight of us, so what chance would it have? I sigh. That's exactly what Liara and I are trying to figure out. Once more, my Asari friend knocks on the door.

"Please, Kai," she speaks soothingly. It's a testament to his willpower to resist her voice for so long. "We only wish to comfort you and ask what is so wrong. We will not harm you in any way." Does she really think that's the problem, though?

"Kai, if you're scared of something, then you _have_ to let us know," I follow her up, regardless. "If Kerrigan is so dangerous, shouldn't we be prepared for her? We can take her down for you!" There's only silence in return. "Boss. You have a responsibility to us. You're our _leader_. Don't lead us into death!" I wince at the words I'm saying, but I hear shuffling behind the door. I smile a bit as it opens, but it quickly disappears when I see the pure fury on Kai's face.

"We're all already doomed," he growls. His eyes are bloodshot from anger and crying. "They unleashed the single most powerful woman in this galaxy; and she wants nothing more than to expand her empire and destroy all other races." I flinch at that. That bad, huh?

"Kai, who is this woman?" Liara asks. We'd all gotten a good look at her, just to see if any of us knew who or what she is. Kai keeps silent.

"Go and grab everyone," he orders us. "I'm not explaining more than once, and this is something Shepard won't be able to handle."

"And you can?" I ask instinctively.

"I'm the only one who can," he barks back, making me take a step back. I've never seen him lose his temper like this before! He backs into his room once more and closes the door behind him, scowling. I glance at Liara and sigh.

"It's progress," I say hopefully, but Liara shakes her head and crosses her arms. My mood drops. "I'll get the others. Just… make sure he doesn't hurt himself? Or anyone else, for that matter?"

"I'll watch him," she promises me, giving me a bitter smile. She tests the door and sees that it's unlocked while I go and grab the others. It isn't hard to find them. They're all in the cafeteria, eating and cheering themselves up.

"Hey, guys," I greet them with a wave. Wrex grunts, but Garrus and Kaidan wave back.

"Any word?" Garrus asks, concerned. He's been the most worried, since as far as I can tell, he's never had anything against Kai in the first place. Wrex and Kaidan? Well, they're more pissed off than worried, it looks like.

"Kai wants to explain himself," I try and talk as diplomatically as I can. "He wants everyone to come to your guys' room so he can tell us all at once."

"What about the commander and Tali'Zorah?" Kaidan asks. I shake my head.

"He didn't say anything about them," I lie. "Look, guys, I'm worried. Whatever's spooked him is something to be concerned about. This doesn't happen every day, and I've never seen him so aggressive before. Can we just… go and get this over with?" Kaidan sighs, but stands up. Both Garrus and Wrex wordlessly follow his lead, and we all head back to Kai's room. Inside, it's a small bedroom with enough space for two beds, two closets, a decontaminator, and little else. Still, we all manage to squeeze in. Wrex somehow ends up sitting on top of the decontaminator.

Liara is sitting beside Kai, rubbing his back as she whispers something to him. It looks like she's asking what he wants to write about. I smile, and remain silent as she calms him down. The others seem to appreciate this moment as well.

"Kai," she gives him a light smile. "We need you to tell us about who Kerrigan is." He shudders at her name. I frown, sitting on Garrus' bed beside the Turian. "Who is she? How do you know about her?" All is silent for a bit, and I can see his eyes shifting. He won't look at any of us. The only sounds are the footsteps outside and the humming of the heating lamp in the room. After a few pregnant minutes of silence, which seems to make Wrex uneasy, Kai speaks.

"Kerrigan… was once a human," he starts. "One of the best, with abilities that would put a Matron Asari to shame." My eyes narrow as I process his words, and I can tell the others are doing the same. That thing was human? "She was incredible, beautiful, and was arguably more deadly than most N7s. She was part of a program called the Ghost Program. The Ghost Program trained children with psychic capabilities."

"You're really pushing my belief here, Kai," Kaidan speaks up. "I've never heard of such a program. And psychics? Now you're just making things up." Kai's eye twitches and his scowl deepens. Garrus promptly knocks the back of the man's head. He then turns to Kai.

"Keep going," Garrus urges the young man. Kai takes a deep breath and continues.

"Kerrigan was successful in nearly every mission assigned to her. A child prodigy of sorts."

"Child?" I ask. Kai nods.

"She was conscripted as a child," he tells us. "I can't exactly remember how old she was, but she was under ten when she first started training." He pauses, and I can see even Garrus grimace. "In her universe, her people, Terrans, they call themselves, were at war with the greatest threat the galaxy has ever known. The Zerg."

"Her universe?" Liara asks inquisitively. Kai struggles for a moment.

"What I'm going to tell you… never leaves this room," he says. It's not a request. "If it does get loose. I'll know. And I'll hunt you down." Despite being certain I can defend myself against him, the threat makes me shiver. I've never heard him so… angry. He looks at Wrex. "You. You killed your father because he betrayed your trust and ambushed you. It was then that you realized that Krogan would rather die in battle then help themselves." Wrex growls and goes to stand, but Kaidan and I keep him sitting. He doesn't resist, but then he looks to Garrus. "You had a rival when you were in military service. After some disagreement you and her went at it in a spar to relieve stress. You had reach and she had-"

"Flexability," Garrus, finishes lowly. "How do you know that? That's not something I just tell anybody, and I know I haven't told that to anyone else." Kai chuckles hollowly.

"Because like Kerrigan, I'm not exactly from this universe," Kai smiles bitterly as he speaks. "I'm… The place I'm from is 2017, on Earth." He grabs something from his pocket and shows it to us. It's a small rectangular device with a large screen. He turns it on, and makes a few swiping motions with it. "I'm not tech savvy enough to know how to change dates, or even know if it's possible, but this is the date in where I'm from." There it is… 2017. "Where I'm from… this place is a video game."

"You're lying," Kaidan protests. I wish I could agree with that, but there's already been so much evidence. "That's impossible!"

"Just as impossible as losing your best friend because you accidentally killed another student in a rage?" he counters. Kaidan's eyes widen in shock. "I know things. I know what will happen, and what can happen. I knew your names before we even met. I knew exactly where to find each of you. Because I've played the same game, over and over. How do you think I met you all in the first place? By accident? A twist of fate?" I gasp.

"Tali… You knew where to find Tali… You knew…" I piece together.

"That if I rescued or found her, then I would find you all? Yes," he confirms. "Though I wasn't expecting to get shot." He glares at Garrus. The Turian shrugs in apology. "But I'll be honest, the game never went into details. There are a lot of areas on the Citadel where you simply couldn't go, and many events that never happened. Things are changing." There's silence for a moment.

"Why did you not want Shepard here for this?" Liara asks slowly. "I would think that she of all people deserves to know about this."

"Because I want to keep her innocent," he sighs. He takes a moment to look over each of us. "Some very bad things happen in the future. Deadly things. If I let her know, then these events may not happen. In the game, Shepard is the main character. The one the player controls." Garrus smirks.

"And here we all thought she controlled you," he snipes. While there are a few laughs, the mood quickly becomes serious again. "So why decide to tell us this now, kid?" Kai is silent for a moment.

"Like I said, Kerrigan isn't from this universe either," he continues. "Neither was Shaun Hastings. If I'm right, then there are others like us out and around the galaxy, just as lost as we are. Something's going on, and I intend to find it."

"What makes Kerrigan so dangerous?" Wrex asks. "If she's just a human, we can break her like every other human we've fought; psychic or not."

"Kerrigan isn't fully human anymore," Kai explains. "She… was betrayed, and the Zerg captured her. They experimented on her and transformed her into a being of incredible power and ruthlessness. The Queen of Blades." That's a dramatic name. "She can regenerate, move faster than most humans, and her carapace skin can shrug off everything but the strongest of projectiles. Her wings can tear through entire bulkheads. Her psychic abilities as the Queen of Blades can put a Matriarch biotic to shame. She's a living weapon."

"So we just shoot her down with ship ammunition," Garrus suggests.

"That could work," Kai smirks. "If you can get close to her. Her most powerful weapon is the most terrifying. She can control the very creatures that turned her into the Queen of Blades. Entire armies, worlds even, under her thumb. Her beck and call. A species that even the most basic of worker units can tear through buildings and machinery like nothing." He sighs. "That thing on Feros… that was one of them. It's called a hydralisk. They're strong individually, but en masse…" He shudders. I can see Wrex frowning.

"She was in this facility alone, though," Kaidan says. "They never found any creatures near her."

"She doesn't need to have one near," Kai says. "She's probably long gone by now, off to who knows where. Kerrigan only needs to find one drone to restart her empire in this galaxy. If she manages that, then we'll be looking at entire worlds eaten in the span of weeks. Extinction on a mass scale as her armies grow by the day. And there are Zerg here. We saw them on Feros. Who knows where they could be lurking, now? If she finds even one hatchery's worth of them…" The unspoken danger lingers in the air. "I need to think on this. There's too much at stake." That seems like a dismissal to me. Kaidan, Wrex, and myself all stand. Liara sits beside Kai some more as Garrus remains on his bed. It makes sense, really, Kai not belonging to this time or universe, I guess he would say. His lack of general knowledge when we first found him, as well as… his other quirks.

Still, seeing him that angry and calm was kind of scary. And hearing about this Kerrigan woman? That's even scarier. Someone who can control entire armies of a supposedly planet killing race. If that one on Feros was difficult for four of use while it was being controlled, how would any of us fight against armies of them? I shake my head and head to the cafeteria. I need something to eat to think over this.

 **Kai's POV**

There… It's out… My secret's gone… I feel… relieved, actually. I've always hated keeping secrets. I feel so dirty and manipulative with them. It's good to finally be free of that burden. Still… I can't help but wonder what these guys will do, knowing that I'm different, now. I look up at Garrus, and he's starting at me with a look of thought. He doesn't seem to be staring at me as much as he's staring through me. Liara is here too, rubbing my back. I can't help but smile. She's always been nice to me, since she came aboard. In the game, I always thought she was kind of boring. Most of these characters were, really. When you're exposed to so much anime and quirkiness, these guys can fall to the back burner. But here… I've learned that they aren't boring. They're _real_. I sigh and lean against the blue lady, and she holds me close to her. It's not romantic, like it is with Shep. It's just… peaceful.

"You know, if you'd have told us sooner then we could probably have fun with your knowledge," Garrus says out loud. "Maybe make a few bets, get a lot of credits that way." I smile at that.

"My knowledge doesn't exactly go to many minor events," I tell him. "Mostly big picture things. The Reapers are definitely real, though. The Zerg existing makes things more difficult. But Shepard can handle most things. Still, she'll probably need help along the way. There's still three years. I can use those. I look down at my feet. But at what cost?

"Will you be alright, Kai?" Liara asks softly. I nod and stand up slowly, groaning while I stretch.

"I just need time to figure things out," I say. "You guys can go. I just need to think." Liara gives me a worried look, but she stands up anyways. Garrus does the same; and as Liara leaves, he rests his hand on my shoulder.

"If you need anything, just let us know," he tells me. "And… try not to stay quiet about the future, alright? Even if bad things are coming, we still want the head's up. Who knows? Maybe you'll save lives." With that, he leaves me to my own thoughts. I immediately pull up my omni-tool and look through names and contacts. Anyone with a high ranking position on every planet. Anyone in the shadows. If I'm going to prepare for the incoming shitstorm, I'll need an army. Or a really good team. I smile at the first few names on my list. _Shaun Hastings. Kasumi Goto. Aerith Gainsborough?_ And… Oh… Oh this will be good…

After spending several hours making a few 'friends', I decide to head out to the cafeteria to get some food. I glance at my assault rifle and armor, and strap them on. I have the feeling that something is going to happen. I hum to myself as I walk through the chilly hallways. If the clock on my omni-tool is correct, it's just about evening time, outside. There aren't a lot of scientists going around. In fact, I don't see anyone. I frown. Something definitely isn't right. I make slow progress, and freeze when I hear gunfire. My eyes widen and I take off down the hallway to wherever the fighting is happening. I immediately activate my rifle and burst through doors as the sounds become louder. It's in the main lounge that I see a firefight is going on. I immediately take cover behind one of the crates lining the main room, finding myself beside Liara.

"Nobody thought to come get me?" I grumble. Liara smiles at this before taking a few shots over cover. "And here I thought we were friends."

"Ashley said we shouldn't bother you," Liara responds to me. I look around. Tali's here, but where are Ash and Garrus?

"Where'd she go?" I ask after taking a few shots. I see we're fighting the soldiers and inhabitants of Peak 15. Are we this far along already?

"Shepard came back and took Ashley and Garrus to kill off the Rachni in the Hot Labs underneath the station," the blue lady tells me. "It is where their nests are, apparently. As soon as they left, these people started to attack us under orders of…"

"Your mom?" I ask. Liara nods. I see Wrex get up and charge the front lines of the enemy, and I cheer him on. "Go get them you big bastard!" I manage to see him roll his eyes before he tackles someone to the ground. I hear a shotgun shot, a scream, and Wrex comes charging back behind cover. I smile and grab my grenade launcher, already primed and ready.

"Are you insane!?" I hear Kaidan shout behind me. "The commander told you to only use it if she gave you permission!" I grin.

"Something to know about teenagers, Kaidan!" I shout back, grinning wickedly. "They do what they want, when they want!" I step into the open, letting my shields take the brunt of the shots coming at me, and take aim. "I'mma firin' mah-" _KABOOM!_ The entire structure shakes as I fire my Explosive Teenager at the bad guys. I take cover behind the boxes as the wave of fire comes rushing towards us. Shit, and I was missing the warmth. I'll never complain about you again, cold! On the plus side, I doubt anybody survived that over there.

After the dust and debris clears, I stand up to see what I've done. I can't help but grin at all the carnage. The floor has blasted open and I can see the level below us. The walls are all charred and most of them shredded. I smile as the rest of the team stands with me. Wrex rests his hand on my shoulder and smiles.

"I take back what I said on Feros," he tells me. "You need an intervention." I pout.

"You guys are assholes," I whine, shaking my head. "So, Benezia knows we're here and wants to kill us. Should we go find her and fuck her day up, or wait for Shep?"

"Wait for me to- Kai, what the hell did you do!?" I hear my girlfriend behind me. I instantly turn to face her and give her a wide grin.

"Honey, you're back!" I cheer. She gives me a loving smile and uppercuts me in the stomach. "Ow…" I fall to my knees and hold my stomach. "Ok… Probably deserved that…" I chuckle and cough. Shepard sighs and flicks my forehead.

"Get up, you idiot," she frowns at me. "Well, you made it a full day yesterday being civil. I guess asking for a second day would be like asking the Council to get off their asses." I smile and give her a thumbs up.

"Love you too, babe," I cough out and slowly stand back up. I grunt and wipe the soot from my armor. "So, can we hunt down Liara's mom, now? I want to-" I glance at her, and see the expression on her face. "See what we can do for her," I correct myself. Liara gives me a thankful nod, but the sorrowful look is still there.

"We're going to stop her," Shepard tells us. "Arm up. Benezia won't be a pushover." She glares at me. "I was going to have you save your glorified explosive for her, but you went and ruined that plan." I shrug. Yeah, I knew that already. But I don't want to kill her. Not yet. She has some things to say before she dies. That's why I got rid of the bomb, now.

"Eh, too late for that," I give her a smile. "Besides, we can beat her on our own! It'll be easy!" I look at everyone as they shift their weapons and reposition their armor. "Everyone ready?"

"Good to go, boss," Ash smiles at me. Garrus steps up behind Shepard.

"We're all ready, too," he says. "Just give us the word." I raise my assault rifle to the sky and fire off a shot.

"Let's fuck some face!"

The descent into Benezia's lab… Or is it a lair? Benezia's lair takes a bit of time and effort. There's still lingering Rachni here and there, but it seems like anything that could be trouble are long gone. Besides, Peak 15 has gone to shit. I doubt anyone will want to work in this place again after the hell it's been through. Especially once word that Rachni have infested the place and a psychotic murderer went on a killing spree here. And especially once people hear that a Matriarch died here. Why work at a place that 'assumedly' killed a Matriarch? Yeah, you don't.

Besides, all this webbing and squishy floors are creeping me out. The Rachni really know how to make things creepy as all hell. I know these ones were corrupted and crazy, but it doesn't make it any better. It doesn't help that they look like a mix between spiders and shrimp. Now I'm all down for some good shrimp, but spiders? Haha, fuck no.

All is silent between us as we move through the catacombs. Lair. Whatever. Thought I do notice a few things. Shep and Tali seem to be normal again. Well, they aren't on opposite sides of one another, anymore. I can't help but smile at that. I was getting worried about Tali, and had tried to talk to her before, but each time she'd just shut me down. I know me choosing Shep hurt her, but I really like Tali too. If I could date them both, I'd totally do that. Alas, I don't think that'll ever happen.

I blink, though, as my omni-tool flashes on the HUD of my helmet's visor. I slowly make my way to the back of the group, looking at the returned message from Shaun. I smile as I read over it. It seems like he's already made quite a few contacts. Restarting the entire Assassins group all by himself? That's a lot of work. Of course, he isn't doing it alone. Not anymore, at least. I'm what we'd call a business partner. I help him sort things out, and he keeps his services open to me. Right now he's focusing more on information, then hiring out normal assassin's to do the jobs for him. Soon, though, they'll get offers that are much too enticing to say "no" to. I type back a short message of congratulations, then follow back up with the group.

We finally arrive at the main lab, and I can see Benezia standing in the center. She's observing something inside the tank, which I know is the Rachni Queen. I smile at the thought. I wonder what Shep will choose. Personally, I think the Rachni will be useful. Then again, Wrex is here so he'll definitely chide her if she lets it go.

"You do not know the privilege of being a mother," she starts. Ugh, why are these guys so monologue-y? I just want to fight you and kill you! At least this is wave based fight. Supposedly she uses all of her biotic power to protect herself, then gets exhausted, then goes "Oh no, I used up all mah space magic! I only have enough to fight you! For like… fucking hours… cause I wasted all my energies on a shield that NOBODY HIT!" I blink. Yeah, she's not that smart, is she? "I won't be moved by sympathy. No matter who you bring to this confrontation." I can see Liara's fists tighten at the words. I rest my hand on her shoulder, and they relax.

"Liara's here because she wants to be," I speak up, stepping forward. "Because she wants to see the woman she called mother one last time before she frees her." I see recognition in the Matriarch's eyes before it vanishes.

"Is that so? And what have you told them of me, Liara?" Benezia asks. Liara steps up beside me and takes a deep breath.

"What could I say, mother?" the Asari Maiden beside me asks. "That you're insane? Evil?" She pauses. "Perhaps I believed that, once. But my eyes are opened now, mother. You are suffering; under the control that Saren has on you. As your daughter, it is my duty to free you from such degradation." I see Benezia hesitate. That's… different.

"You're testing my patience," Benezia tells us. She walks towards us. "You bring forth my daughter in attempts to sway me? To change my desires? It will not work. Few humans have ever had the honor to face against an Asari Commando. It is time you join those numbers."

"You'd kill me, mother…?" Liara gasps as if she's been stabbed. "You would kill your only child…?" Benezia hesitates once more, but continues.

"I should have been stricter with you, Liara," she says. "If I had been, then perhaps things would be different." Raising both hands, the unleashes her biotics. I grunt, finding myself firmly frozen alongside Shepard.

"Scatter!" I shout. The pain of moving screams through my body as our teammates take cover all across the room. Asari Commandos and Geth pour into the room on the opposite side, immediately firing on us. I feel Benezia's grip weaken and I grab Shepard, pulling her behind a crate with me before a rocket explodes where we had just been. I smirk.

"What's the plan?" she asks. I hum in thought, looking around. This is a tough battle field. But still… I smile and wink at her.

"Keep them busy," I tell her. "Keep their focus on this side." I activate my omni-tool and hack into one of the air vents, opening it. I crawl inside and close it behind me. Go ninja, go ninja, go. I chuckle and shine my light through the vents, humming to myself as I hear the firefight outside. I crawl all over the place, making sure I'm still in the lab I want to be in as I make my way behind enemy lines. I open up one of the vents on the opposite side, seeing a pair of feet in front of me. I grab my pistol and slowly reach out. "I AM BATMAN!" I shout in a gravelly voice as I grab the Asari's leg and drag her into the vent. I immediately close the door and fire into her skull while she's stunned. I sigh and hum, then make my way to another vent. I whistle as I move above the battlefield, opening a vent up top. I grab my sniper rifle and hang down, taking aim at another commando. I smile. She looks like she's upside down! _Bang!_ She's dead! I pull back in and close the vent.

"Somebody get that little human," I hear one of the commandos shout. I smile and grab my assault rifle and grab a wire from my pocket and tie it around my leg. I whistle and grab a hook from my armor and tie the other end of the wire around the base of the hook. I hook the wire to a steel pole at the side of the vent and open it once more, peering down. It's a long drop if this doesn't work. I sigh and take a deep breath. Nobody's looking. Targets spotted closing in on my team. Four Geth and Five Asari. You guys better get the hint. I let myself slip down out of the ceiling vent; the wire around my left leg being my only lifeline. I make no hesitation as I take aim while I drop, trying to focus more on what I'm doing than the feeling of falling. It's hard.

"The itsy-bitsy spider, went up the water spout," I sing. _Bang!_ "Down came the rain and washed the spider out." _Bang!_ "Up came the sun and dried up all the rain." _Whoosh!_ A round flies by me as they start aiming at me. I twist around on the now dangling wire to avoid their shots. "And the itsy-bitsy spider went up the spout again. _Bang!_ Two commandos and one Geth dead. I grin as my team takes advantage of my distraction. Kaidan, Wrex and Liara all grab the Geth and pull them off the sides of the walkway around the lab before firing on them. Shepard throws a grenade behind a cluster of boxes that two commandos are using as cover. Tali is in close with her own commando with her shotgun; wearing the blue woman down with round after round. Finally, she succumbs, and all that's left is Benezia. I twist the wire around my hand before slicing the wire around my leg. I let go, and allow myself to fall onto the walkway.

"What in the world was that?" Shepard asks. I smile and tap the side of my nose.

"I'm a ninja," I tell her as we approach the weakened Asari. We all ready our weapons and approach the fallen Matriarch. She growls and gasps, and I shoot the ground right beside her, making her jump. "Too early?" I look at the others. Liara takes point and approaches her exhausted mother, kneeling beside her.

"You've caused so much pain, mother…" she whispers. I can see Benezia's shoulders tense. The others ready their weapons, but I raise my hand. I turn to them and shake my head. "You've helped a madman… Why…?"

"He burrows into your mind…" Benezia replies, her voice much more afraid and hopeless than before. "Makes you believe what he's doing is right. You must stop him, Little Wing." She looks towards us, but her gaze is focused solely on Liara. "Please, forgive me for not being… a proper mother to you…" The Matriarch smiles gently. "I'm proud of who you've become, Liara. I can see it now; you'll grow to do great things." I can see tears running down the younger Asari's face.

"Mother, where is he?" she asks. "We can stop him. Free you from his control!"

"It's too late for me, my dear," Benezia responds. I motion for the others to back off a little bit. For now, Benezia is in control of herself.

"I'll handle her if things go wrong," I whisper to them. "Go around the lab and see if you can find any more about the Rachni." Shepard nods, seeing what I'm trying to do. She directs everyone away as Benezia and Liara speak.

"I do know what he desired. The Mu Relay," Benezia gasps. She opens up her omni-tool and sends something to Liara. "These are the coordinates. He needs time before he will be ready to make the travel, but it will not take more than a month. You must reach the Conduit before him…!"

"Mother…"

"I can feel him whispering in my ear," Benezia cries. "Telling me to kill you; my own flesh and blood. My only daughter. It's like being trapped in a glass room, beating on the windows but nobody can hear you." I step forward and rest my hand on Liara's shoulder.

"Liara, you know what you need to do," I tell her. Benezia finally turns to me.

"You are the one Sovereign spoke of," she gasps. "The one not of this galaxy." I nod and smile a bit. "You… have the ability to turn the tides of war. Sovereign fears the ones like you. Please, take care of my Little Wing. Protect her…!"

"I'll keep her safe, Benezia," I tell her. "I promise that Liara will be safe and sound." After all, I know she stays alive through all of the games. Benezia smiles at this.

"Thank you… _ai'a me_ …" she whispers. The looks to her daughter once more. "I am ready to find peace in the embrace of the Goddess, Little Wing. Free me." Liara wipes away her tears and nods. "I love you. I couldn't be more proud of the woman you are, and will be." Liara smiles at her mother.

"I love you, mother," she says as she raises her pistol to Benezia's head. The old woman smiles and closes her eyes before the sound echoes through the room. Liara drops her weapon and lays her face into her mother's shoulder. The Asari weeps.

I rest my hand on her shoulder, not speaking a word as I kneel beside her. Before us I can see the Rachni Queen looking towards us, observing us. Yet, it seems that even she knows that it's a time for mourning, as she's oddly quiet. After the single shot, Shepard and the others return to the center of the lab. Even Wrex is strangely quiet, though I wouldn't put it past him. While he is a Krogan, there's something people don't quite consider. Every other biological organism has a single heart. Krogan have four hearts. To that extent, Krogan are the most emotional creatures I've seen, judging more by instinct and nature than their minds. Pain and loss is not a foreign concept to Wrex, and neither is grieving.

After a few minutes, the tears have stopped, and Liara's breathing returns mostly to normal. I help her stand, and hand her to Garrus. Shepard and I nod towards one another as we move towards the Rachni Queen. Right on que, the body of one of the fallen commandos stands. Shepard moves towards her weapon, but once more I raise an arm to prevent her from taking a hasty action.

"You're the voice of the queen," I speak to the Asari, then turn to the queen. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Kai, what are you doing?" Shepard asks me. I raise my hand and smile at her.

"Let me do the talking, dear," I tell her. I turn back to the Rachni, even as the Asari vessel stands behind me. "My name is Kai."

"This one serves as our voice," the Asari speaks behind me. "We cannot sing. Not in these low spaces." Her voice is shaky, as if she's struggling against the Rachni Queen. "Your music is colorless." I move to speak. "No. Your music. Your music is filled with ashen greys and… bright oranges. You sing a song with many melodies." I chuckle and smile.

"I've been told something akin to that, before," I tell her. "My song… Is a very complex one, I guess."

"Kai, what are you talking about? Songs?" Shepard persists.

"The way they communicate," I tell her. Rachni are a hive mind. They communicate telepathically and are controlled by the queen in what actions to take and how to live their daily lives."

"Then this queen ordered the other Rachni to kill us?" Wrex growls.

"The children we birthed were stolen from us before they could learn to sing," she defends herself. "They are lost to silence."

"They were abducted as eggs and used by the scientists," I translate. "They went insane. She gave no such order."

"I could hear their wretched songs," she seems to be crying. "Their music before their silence. In the end, their songs still rang through the air." I nod solemnly. So those things finally connected in death. Only in death.

"So what to do with you?" I ask the Rachni Queen. "Your kind rampaged across worlds and destroyed them before."

"We sing the songs of those long past," she replies. "The songs you silenced. Their songs were murky and wicked, filled with oily blacks and dusty greys." She struggles to keep control of the Asari, as she falls to her knees. "We will not sing their songs again. What will you do with us?"

"If we let those things loose again, than every death during the war will be in vain," Wrex growls. "You better not let it go."

"Their species made a mistake, and the Krogan went too far," Liara speaks up softly. "This is a second chance for everybody. Let them atone for their sins."

"Are you kidding? You don't know how much problems these things can cause," Garrus counters. "They wiped out entire worlds." He looks back at me. "Kai, you know what that kind of power can do." He's talking about the Zerg… "You know how destructive it can be. Don't make the mistake of unleashing that again." I glance at Shepard, and she stares at me.

"Personally, I don't believe the sins of the ancestor should reflect on the offspring," I tell her. "But it isn't my choice to make. You're the superior officer." I motion to the levers on the machine. "Those tanks have enough acid to kill her, and wipe out the Rachni forever. The other lever can release her into the vents." I give Shepard a soft smile. "Whatever you choose, I'll support it."

Shepard walks forward and presses her hand against the glass. "What will you do if I let you go?"

"We will travel far and sing our songs in solitude," the Rachni Queen answers. "We will not sing the murky music of our kind. We shall sing the songs of Rachni." Shepard hesitates, looking back at me once more. I nod to her. I know she'll make the right choice.

That's why it shocks me when she pulls the lever, and acid fills the tank of the Rachni Queen. My eyes widen and I feel the blood chill in my body as both the Rachni Queen and the Asari scream and shriek in pain. I close my eyes, taking a few deep breaths. I can feel someone holding me, but I don't care to see who it is. After a few agonizing seconds, the shrieks stop. My fists are clenched, and I slowly look at the woman I love.

"Shep…" I mumble. She looks back at me with an apologetic expression.

"I represent the Council and its wishes," she tells me. "I know it wasn't what you wanted… But the Rachni are too dangerous to unleash on the galaxy again. You may want to believe their honeyed words, but I won't take that-" For the first time in my life, I make the first strike on a woman out of anger. Her head jerks to the left as I feel my fist connect with her jaw. Tears stream down my face as I back up a few steps. First Kerrigan… Now this… I shake my head and don't say a word as I leave the room. For once, everything is silent between the ground team.

 **Liara's POV**

In the time I have spent with the Normandy, I've never seen Kai angry, lash out at someone, cry or be anything but loving towards Commander Shepard. In less than three hours, I have seen all of those. It is a disconcerting notion, to say the least. Our crew proclaimed "Normandy Mascot", the man singlehandedly responsible for Karaoke Night in the recreation room, the massive stores of ramen in the storage compartment, and the everyday antics of joy throughout the days, has just show that even jesters are still emotional, sentient beings.

The walk back to the Normandy is filled with silence. It is an uncomfortable quiet that normally Kai would be filling in with bouts of jokes and laughter; especially after a successful mission. Even if he had only been on one, he seems to particularly enjoy success. While this mission _is_ a success, I do not believe he sees it in such a way. Commander Shepard seems particularly distraught, more injured by Kai's temper and attitude than his strike.

"You made the right choice," Wrex tries to comfort our leader. "If those Rachni got loose, then everything would be lost again." Shepard sighs, and I can see tears pooling in her eyes. Goddess preserve her, she is trying hard to remain strong in front of us.

"Then why does it feel like I've made the biggest mistake in my life?" our commander asks in reply. There is silence for a time, before Ashley speaks.

"The boss just has that effect, I guess," she suggests. "You spend so much time trying to get his approval, keep him smiling, and enjoying life with him, you forget what it's like without that joy."

"So when you're the one that causes it to disappear…" Garrus trails off. "You feel like a monster." Shepard's fists clench at those words, and I can see the grimace on her face. "It's not your fault, Shepard. Kai's just overreacting and he's had a bad day. He'll come around."

"And what if he doesn't?" she growls, stopping. "I may have just singlehandedly ruined the first meaningful relationship I've ever had!" Tali shakes her head and steps forward.

"He would never just leave you like that," she comforts the woman. I can see our commander start to relax a bit. "He'll come around, ore I'll make him." I can hear the smile in Tali's voice. "Let's get back to the Normandy. Don't you have a certain pilot to chew out for not sending you those damage reports?"

"You're right," Shepard sighs. "Liara, would you mind trading places with Kai on the way back? I don't think sitting beside him'll be the best idea, right now."

"I would be happy to, commander," I reply. I can only hope that Kai will not do anything else that is rash. I think back on the words my mother spoke to him before I killed- freed her. She called him _ai'a me_. I smile at the thought. I suppose he is, is he not, mother?

 **Kai's POV**

The flight back to the Citadel is quiet. People go on their business and do their jobs, but I could tell something is missing. I know what it is. I know I'm responsible for it. But I don't care. Shepard. Paragon, incorruptible Shepard killed the Rachni for all time. There's no chance of them ever coming back. No chance of them helping with the Reapers. And against the Zerg? We've lost one of our greatest armies. We would have had a chance with the fast reproduction of the Rachni and their overwhelming numbers, but now we don't have a chance.

Several times, Shepard has tried to pull me aside and talk to her, but I don't want to see her. I don't want to speak to her. I don't want to be near her. Only a few days into our relationship, and it's… I sigh and shake my head. It's useless to think of that now. All I can do right now is increase my list of contacts and make it certain that I'll be prepared for the future. No longer am I just fighting for Shepard. I'm fighting for myself. For Liara. For Ash and Kaidan. I'm fighting to save lives. Speaking of…

"Kai," I hear Garrus' surprised voice as I approach him. I nod in response. "How are you holding up? It's been two days; have you spoken to Shepard at all?" I shake my head. "You probably should. She's been getting a bit pissy lately. I think she needs her cuddle bear back." Despite the attempt at a light joke, I don't feel the urge to smile. He gets the hint and leans back against the Mako. "What can I do for you?"

"I want you to be… an advisor of sorts," I tell him. His mandibles flair and his mouth opens slightly, the equivalent of a cocked eyebrow. "Some things are going to happen in the future, and I need to know I can trust you to have my back." Garrus' mouth closes.

"I don't know what I can do," he tells me. "But I can try. What will you need?"

"You'll meet a Turian named Sidonis someday. Don't completely trust him when he sets up meetings. Keep everyone safe, and learn to retreat if things look bad," I tell him. Garrus cocks his head. "If all goes well, then I'll contact you sometime after."

"You make it sound like you're leaving," he points out. I smile at that. It's a bitter, sad smile.

"Not every team can stay together forever," I tell him. I pat his arm a few times. "Thanks. You'll know what to do when the time comes. Just remember that you don't have to be like Shepard. You're your own Turian. Maybe not a good one, but you are one." With that, I turn around and leave. I take a deep breath and head to the cockpit. The journey takes a bit of time since I'm on the bottom level of the ship, and I don't want to move fast. That means I'm closer to seeing Shepard.

Ever since we left Noveria, we've picked up a new recruit; one Moana. Imagine my surprise when the Disney not-princess appeared on the Normandy. It was for the best, though. She and Joker already go at each other like an old married couple, and I can tell Joker likes having someone he can talk with about the ship and how to fly it. She's grasped the basics surprisingly quick, as evidenced by when I see her in Joker's seat. I blink a moment.

"Joker, you've changed," I tell her. Joker's sitting in the co-pilot seat. "You've turned into a woman. A hot one at that," I smile, then look at the real pilot. "Oh, I guess you just ejected your feminine side. A shame, your mug is even uglier, now." Moana giggles, and I see Joker roll his eyes at me. "How's she doing?"

"She's a natural," he tells me. "Got all the controls right on the first day. All that's left is getting her muscle memory up to par, and get her used to flying a large object that she can't see all of." I nod and turn to Moana.

"And how's she feel?" I pat the side of the ship. "Getting used to flying her, yet?"

"It's incredible!" she exclaims excitedly. "This is so cool!" I can't wait until I'm just as good as Jeff."

"Well, that can take years, princess," Joker smirks, enjoying his own bravado. "You're lucky to pick everything up so fast." I chuckle and shake my head, leaving them to their own devices. Instead, I head back down to the second floor and move towards the rec room. I decide to watch the news with some of the other crew. They wisely keep silent as I pull up my omni-tool. I glance at my messages and see a few of my new "friends" have gotten back to me.

 _To: Kai_

 _From: Aerith Gainsborough_

 _I don't know how you know so much about who I was, but from what I can tell, you're trustworthy. I assume you won't stoop so low as to try and attempt blackmail, and your offer is very intriguing. If you manage this, send me another message with the details. The galaxy could use more people like yourself, Kai. While your ideals are simply that; ideals, you seem to have the will and ability to pull it off. I remember when I was much the same as you. I wish you luck._

 _On another note, I've compiled a list of several other individuals in which you may be interested in. They have similar histories as us, and are the only ones I've found thus far. I think you'll be particularly interested in the engineer. He's one of my best. I've attached the list to this message. Please respond at your earliest convenience._

I smile at that. She's gone from the sweet and innocent young woman many knew and loved. She's now a successful businesswoman with power and authority. Cloud would shit bricks if he could see her now. Would she remind him of Shinra?

 _To: Aerith Gainsborough_

 _From: Kai_

 _That's a very interesting list; if a bit short. There are only a few names that stick out to me. You're also very correct, I'm very interested in the engineer. How long has he been working for you? He's someone like us, if you didn't know. He'll be an invaluable boon to my goals. I'll fill you in on the details when I receive them from Shaun. So far, things are going well. We should be able to begin the operation in only a few months._

I hit send, and smile once more. This is good. I look at the next message, sent to me by the one I've most been interested in since I saw his name. It took a few tries to get his mail address, but I finally managed it.

 _To: Kai_

 _From: CrusadingKnight_

 _It's good to hear that not all men desire power and money; and seek actual justice. And here I thought I was the only one! I'll gladly join your cause if you can provide the means to do so. I'll warn you, though. If you start getting to big in your head, I'll have to smash you down, myself. I won't watch as another cause I join goes to hell! Regardless, let me know when the fighting begins, so we can have so real good times!_

I chuckle and start to type out a message in response.

 _To: CrusadingKnight_

 _From: Kai_

 _Good to have you on board! I was actually worried that you might turn me down, my friend. No need to worry about my intentions. I've always been one to desire goodness for all peoples, not just myself or my own. We'll protect the entire galaxy side by side. I've also sent you the mail for Shaun, since he's helping me organize the entire operation. Once I've finished a few things and gotten in contact with a few more people, I'll send you the location of our first meeting point. I hope you have some reliable transportation!_

 _Speaking of meeting, there are others just like us that will be attending. You and I aren't quite alone in this universe like you might have suspected. It's our duty now to protect our new home; even against those that are like and want to destroy it. Anyway, I wish you well, my friend. We can always use a grand knight into our folds, Reinhardt._

 **?'s POV**

I smile at the intercepted messages. I don't know if I want to join him, yet. I don't know if I'll be useful at all. Especially since he's grabbing people from all over the place with all sorts of influence. Though maybe it won't be so bad. After all, he seems like a nice guy! And he genuinely cares about the people he works with, too. It would be great to finally meet the man. I blink when I receive a call on my omni-tool. I open it and find myself staring at a dark silhouette.

"How is the subject, Kasumi?" they ask through a voice modulator. I smile at them and chuckle.

"Doing just fine," I reply. It looks like he's getting together an information network that could start to rival Cerberus, or even yours if he's good enough." The silhouette hums at this, but doesn't seem angry. "You knew this would happen, didn't you, Shadow Broker? Is this why you attacked the Quarian girl?" My voice is teasing, but the Shadow Broker doesn't seem to care.

"You don't need to question my methods, sister," they tell me. "You only need to do as I say, for now." There's a pause. "Keep observing him. I want to know more about this man and what he wants. Peace can't be the only thing he's after. He has to want something more. Report back to me when you find out more. I have other people watching him as well." I smile as the call cuts, chuckling to myself. My sibling always been a bit strange, but I'm still not used to seeing them like this. Ever since we came to this world, we've worked together to keep each other safe. It's funny; I've become more like them, and they've become more like me as the years have gone by. I can't help but wonder what caused the change. No, that doesn't matter. What matters is getting my job done. Maaaaybe after I steal some of that delicious smelling burger!


	7. Chapter 6: Kasumi Goto

_A/N: For the Guest wondering (For Pete's sake, guys, I'm not gonna hate on you. Use your actual account.) yes, Kai has no business being a leader. He has no right to take command from Shepard, and he has no business beating her in livefire training at all. But you forget, that this isn't a game any longer. No, he only has slight firearms experience but an advanced mind for tactics, but he's charismatic. He's the kind of person who people find easily agreeable and that one person everyone likes being friends with. You know you've met at least one. The characters in my story are human (or alien in some cases). They have emotions and fallacies. Shepard loses because she severely underestimates him. She's an N7, and got cocky in her training exercises against him because he's "Only a civilian". That's where Kai shines. Everyone treats him like a civilian, because he technically_ is _one. He has no formal military training and no background in politics, so everyone assumes less of him for it; even by accident. He uses that and takes advantage of people through it. He can subvert Shepard's orders and talk shit to the Council because in their eyes, he's still a civilian and not prosecutable by their rules. Shepard only considered Kai a serviceman at first because that's her way of keeping order; but once she realized that he's a loose cannon that can't really be contained (and she grew feelings for him) she stopped. People don't follow him and trust him because he's powerful or through position, they follow him because he's trustworthy and the kind of person you_ want _to lead you._

 _TL;DR, Kai is the kind of person you want to follow, so people do. In many cases, even Shepard does. He takes advantage of the fact that he's technically a civilian and people underestimate him for it. He can get away with things soldiers can't because of that as well. Anyways, I didn't think I'd have to explain that. Onto the chapter!_

 **Chapter Six: Kasumi Goto**

 **Kasumi's POV**

 _"Projects Violet and Cyan are thawing, professor!" W-What…? Who's there…? And… Why is it so cold?_ Flash! _Agh! What was that? A doctor?_ Flash! _F-Fuck… Cancer… I… Have that? Had that… My sister…_ Flash! _She had it too… But why are we…? We froze ourselves, didn't we? Give us time for a cure to be found… So what are…_

 _"Restore power immediately," that voice… He sounds upset… Is it because of us…?_ What do we care? _Someone asks. Who…?_ All we need is our sister. Anyone else can go screw themselves. _But the world is such a wonderful place…! How could you say that? Don't you care about the other people in your life?_ We're not you and me, anymore. We are one. And I plan on using you to live. _No! My name is Kasumi Goto, and I won't lose who I am for you!_ You don't have a choice, little girl! If you reject me, then we'll both die! _I can't leave my sister behind…_ Then don't. I can protect her for you. Just give me control. _I won't… I can't…!_

 _"Professor, Project Violet's heartrate is increasing at an alarming rate."_

 _"Restore power, NOW. Use the backup generators if you have to! I won't have the Alliance shut me down when I'm so close!"_

Give me your body, Kasumi. _I don't want to! I won't! I refuse!_ If you don't, then your sister will become the last of her family! Do you want that!? _No… I… You promise that you won't let her be alone…?_ …I promise. She'll be in good hands. _…Ok… I'm so sorry, Hanako… I love you…_ That's good. Just go to sleep. Friend.

 _"Project Violet's heartbeat is slowing down again, professor. Cryo is now reactivating."_

 _"Good. When she awakes, we can finally-"_

 _I gasp as I wake up, suddenly as if in a dream. I grimace, sorting through the thoughts in my head. These… These aren't mine… Cancer? A family? Whose…? Kasumi. Kasumi Goto was her name, wasn't it? The girl who traded her life for mine. I frown and close my eyes. Is that what a sister's love is like? If only I had that… Wait, what are these? These are… MY memories. Ugh, two sets of memories in my head… Mine and… hers… I can't hear her voice, anymore. I guess she's gone for good._

 _"Both Project Cyan and Project Violet are waking up, professor."_

 _"At long last… My creations… Wake, Miku and-"_

 **Kai's POV**

I gasp and jerk awake, beating on the inside of the sleeper pod to release me. Fuck! Fuck! Why won't it stop!? I growl and grimace as the door opens, stumbling out and falling to my knees. I gasp for air, closing my eyes while I attempt to calm myself down. Fuck… I take a few deep breaths before I stand, thankful that nobody was around to see that. That's the third nightmare in the last two days. We've been docked at the Citadel for almost half a week in order to stock up and have some time for ourselves, but I've been busy with my growing list of contacts. I need… To rest. I can't keep going like this. I could hear her this time. Begging me to come and save her as the acid washed over her. I could have saved her. I could have chosen for myself to let the Rachni Queen go free, but I had too much trust in Shepard. Too much belief in her.

"Following the will of the Citadel, my ass," I growl. "You just wanted to fuck over the Rachni, didn't you…? You were afraid of them and didn't want to take a risk…!" I slam my fist into the floor. "Newsflash, Shepard. The Rachni weren't-"

"Kai?" a concerned voice fills my ears. I sigh and look up, seeing the blue skin of our resident Asari. I give her a short wave and slowly take a knee. "Are you doing alright?"

"I'm fine, Liara," I tell her. "What do you want?" She closes her eyes a moment and looks to the side, rubbing her hands together. "Well?"

"I would like to go shopping with you, if you do not mind," she requests. My surprise must be evident. "I simply wish to acquire some modifications for my armor and weaponry. Tali has offered to help me." I blink at that. It's been a while since I've spoken to Tali, too. She's kept her distance. I would have thought she'd ask me out now that Shepard and I are pretty much through.

"Sure," I tell Liara. "Let's get going, then. I have some people I'm going to meet with later." Liara nods wordlessly before taking the lead. She seems a bit high strung. Maybe she hasn't slept well? "Hey," I catch her attention as we reach the stairs. "I've been wondering, but what does _ai'a me_ mean? Your mom called me that on Noveria." I can see her smile a bit.

"It is what one calls a trusted friend, or ally," she explains to me. "My mother entrusted my well being to you, trusting your judgement and ability." I chuckle and scratch the back of my head.

"Well, that's a pretty big burden," I tell her. "I sure hope I live up to that. I'd hate to lose someone like you." She seems surprised at my words as we walk through the CIC. I can see Joker and Moana lounging in the cockpit, talking.

"Truly?" she inquires me. "We haven't spoken much before Noveria."

"You're still my friend," I tell her. As soon as we enter onto the Citadel, I grimace. The air smells around here. "I don't like losing friends." She hums.

"And the commander?" she asks. I hiss and frown, but she stands firm.

"I misjudged her," I tell Liara. "The Rachni are a huge boon against the Reapers. They stay true to their words for the most part and develop technology and starships faster than any other race. They arm the entire galaxy against the Reapers. At least from what I know of the trilogy of games. I never did get around to playing the third one." I kick the wall of the elevator on the way down. "I'm starting to regret that."

"You are telling me, that the Rachni were a force against the Reapers?" she asks me. I nod. "Do we defeat the Reapers?" I hesitate and look away. "Kai?"

"Yes, and no," I tell her. "The game has three endings, all of which are equally possible. The Reapers become a non-threat at the end of each, but…" I sigh. "Shepard dies in each one of them." Liara stops and gasps, even when the doors open. It takes her a moment to walk ahead with me.

"She must know about this! There must be a way we can-"

"There isn't," I tell her. "At the end of it all… Shepard has to die." She grips my shoulder, giving me a firm look. She's almost intimidating.

"You must do your best to save her, Kai," she urges me. "I know that you are angry, but letting her die will not help you. You must keep her alive. That is my request for you." I frown, and pause. I… There's no other way. I can't just save her. I sigh, but say nothing. Liara seems to accept my silence as neither a yes nor a no. It's a fact that I appreciate from her as we walk through the large space hub. It's an odd silence between us as we walk through the crowded streets of the Citadel, and she seems ok with that. It's not an uncomfortable silence, despite our disagreement. It's just there.

It isn't long until we hit the markets, and in search for a shop that sells modification parts. Most mods aren't nearly as expensive as actual weapons, but the best ones can go even further than the price of a standard issue rifle. "What exactly are you looking for?" I ask. "What kind of mod?" Liara stay silent, but she offers me a coy smile.

"Mod?" she asks. "Now, what ever gave you such an idea, Kai?" I blink at that. Did… Liara just pull one over on me? "Can I not simply spend a day with the human I consider… what was that word…? A brother?" I roll my eyes.

"Brother?" I chuckle at that. "What happened to the fact that we haven't spoken much before Noveria?"

"Please, as if the entire crew of the Normandy does not consider you like a younger brother," she counters me. "Idealistic. Headstrong. Silly. Yet somehow wise for your age despite all of that." Liara pauses. "Many of us have noticed you becoming less yourself, and more stressed than usual. It was decided that we would all come for lunch to simply relax and enjoy our shore leave." We stop in front of a restaurant, and I look up at the sign. _Shade Of The Fire Ramen_ it's called. I chuckle and give the blue woman a sly look.

"Was it you that chose the location?" I ask her. Inside I can already see a few of the Normandy crew starting to sit down for lunch. They've acquired a couple of large tables inside and set them in a U shape. I can see Joker and Moana approaching us from behind, with the former leaning on the latter for support.

"Perhaps," Liara smiles back at me. "I found this restaurant several years ago, but thought nothing of it at the time. However, shortly after the ramen incident aboard the Normandy, I was inclined to bring you here." She glances at me. "I hope that you are not upset at this deception."

I shake my head and nudge the woman beside me as Joker and his trainee move on inside. "Not at all," I tell her. "In fact. It might just be what the doctor ordered."

"I am certain that Dr. Chakwas would proscribe no such thing," Liara tells me with a smile on her face. "Commander Shepard will also be here. I hope this is not a problem?" I hesitate. "I assure you, that this is not an attempt to force you to speak to her." Despite those ominous words, her face is completely apologetic. "You must understand; we could not have this event without her permission due to your… overwhelming voice of reason being absent."

"Are you trying to flatter me?" I ask with narrowed eyes. She returns the expression, but with a smile.

"That does depend. Is it working?" she asks, completely taking me off guard. Holy shit, did Liara just use wit!? I blink and grin. Do I just have a penchant for corrupting Asari?

"It is," I offer her my arm. "Now, will my dear big sister escort the fine young man to dinner?" Liara simply rolls her eyes, but there's a coy smile that she can't keep hidden.

"My little brother is old enough to take care of himself," she tells me, walking in front of me and leaving my arm hanging. My mouth gapes. I'm so proud of her! I chuckle and shake my head, making a short jog to walk in beside Liara once more. The inside of the restaurant is relatively empty, with a corner that seems to have been specifically rented out for the Normandy crew. I can see that Wrex, Garrus, and engineer Adams are already there along with most of the ship crew. They all seem to be enjoying themselves, and the food smells amazing!

I smile at the scene. This was what I wanted when I first joined. A family.

 **Kasumi's POV**

I can't help but pace on the catwalks above the restaurant. Watching him walk in had taken the breath from my lungs. For better or for worse, my sister was interested in this man. Thus, for better or for worse, I was obliged to fulfill her interests. Still, what could such a guy have that would be so intriguing to her? He looked pretty average to me, and he was nowhere near as smart as us. At least, as far as I knew. Well, whatever my little sister wanted.

"Do you have eyes on him?" I heard her speak through the earpiece. I rolled my eyes and smiled.

"Of course I do, chica," I told her. "What do you take me for? He's in the restaurant eating with his friends. Speaking of; you need to get out more. Staying stuck in that dingy ship is bad for your skin."

"That's what I have you for," she told me. "The boss won't be happy if we don't at least look into his offer for us." I rolled my eyes at her words.

"Relax, everything will be fine," I smiled and looked over my nails. Maybe a manicure would be in order after this. "I'll just leave him the datapad and meet with him today. I _did_ tell him I would contact him after he landed."

"Three days is a stretch," the girl replied.

"Yes, _mami_ ," I retorted sarcastically. "I'll be sure to be extra nice for your little boy toy."

"I'm not interested in him like that!" my sister growled at me. "Now get to business! We've wasted enough time as it is!" I scoffed.

"Alright, alright," I sighed. So impatient. I pulled up my omni-tool and got to work. "Let me just hack into his omni-tool and… there. He should be receiving a message on his omni-tool to meet me, soon." She glanced up at the young man slurping up his noodles. What did her sister see in him?

 **Kai's POV**

I had excused myself. I needed to. One of my prospective contacts had just gotten back to me, and I needed to speak with her. Of course Liara looked a little disappointed that I had to leave, but I promised that I wouldn't take too long and I would return to the get-together as soon as I was finished. I didn't bother telling her why I had to leave. That would have only defeated the purpose of me going alone, and my plans as a whole.

The message that was sent to me led me down several twists and turns. I could tell that she was more than likely following me, just trying to lead me someplace private and quiet where she could speak to me without drawing suspicion. A pretty basic move.

As soon as I passed by a news terminal, it switched to the face of Kasumi Goto. Or the hood, at least. I blinked at the differences, though. Her outfit was still dark, but it had purple linings to it that were absent in the game. Not only hat, but there was a soft purple flow under her hood that illuminated half of her face. She was not the pale woman I remembered, but someone with a dark olive skin complexion, purple lipstick, and only one of her purple eyes showing from the glow under her hood. She also had a beauty mark by her left eye that was missing in the games. She seemed really familiar, for some reason. But this couldn't be Kasumi.

"You contacted me," it wasn't a question when I spoke to her. The woman had a coy smile on her lips. "So, are we here to discuss my offer?"

"Straight to business, eh, nĩno?" she asked me, her entire stance playful. "C'mon, where's your sense of wonderment? You have a meeting with the best thief in the world!" I smirked at that. Her accent was Hispanic in nature. So, how exactly did she get here and end up taking Kasumi's place?

"You're not only a thief," I play my first hand. "You're a hacker as well. That's how you sent me that message." I could see the woman's single visible eye roll.

"Not many people know about that," she admits. "I can only caution a guess to why you do, eh? I doubt you'll tell me, but I'll find out eventually on my own."

"Probably not," I tell her. "Anyway, back to the matter at hand." She was trying to distract me. Drag the discussion out. Why? "I need you to work alongside one of my… friends. He deals in information. If you can get that information, I'd be all too happy to compensate you for it."

"And what is it that I get in return?" a hungry smile grazed her lips. "A nobody that just appears out of nowhere won't have much for someone like me." It didn't surprise me that she knew I didn't exactly belong.

"What exactly is it that you need?" I asked her. I saw the predatory look on her face return. I just gave her something she wanted. Ammunition to use against me. I hid my smirk. I wasn't this desperate to just offer her anything, but I could play her game for a little while.

"Well," she seems to be pacing as she speaks. "I can't think of anything right now, but I'll be sure to hold you that favor, amigo. So, where do we start?"

"You can start by jumping down from that rafter behind me," I tell her. She doesn't seem as surprised as I thought she would. Instead, she smirks and the screen goes into static. I hear someone land behind me just before I start to turn around. "So, Kasumi Goto," I look her over. She returns the favor with appraising eyes. "Or should I call you Sombra?" The woman's playful look instantly disappeared. In an instant, her hand is around my neck and my back is pressed against the wall.

" _Cómo coño conoces ese nombre!?_ " she yells at me. I give her a quizzical look. The woman rolls her eyes and sighs, exasperated. "How do you know that name, _cabrón_?" She asks me. "Only my _hermanita_ knows that name!"

"Not the only one here," I choke out. "One other, but different means."

"Who!?" She all but shouts into my face. I smirk and wink at her.

"My favor," I tell her. Her eye twitches as she lets me go. I cough and gasp a few times as she paces away for a moment. She seems to think for a moment before turning back to me.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't just beat the information out of you," she glares at me. I chuckle and shrug. "Do you this is funny, _cabrón_? You have one piece of information that I want. For that, you want me to exchange my entire database and my personal services? Fuck that!" She spits at my feet.

"And what about your sister, Project Violet?" I took a risk. It seems I was right on the money, though, since her eyes narrowed and steeled at the name. "We both know that you don't have the interest in me to buy me armor or even approach me for no reason. Someone has to be telling you what to do. That's Miku, isn't it? She must have a pretty lofty position to not only find me, but spend money on someone like me."

"You're pulling very dangerous information, _cabrón_ ," she warns me, approaching me in a threatening manner. She's definitely got a head and a half at least over me, but I don't let myself be intimidated. I can't seem weak in front of her.

"Then take my offer," I tell her with a warm smile. "You only need to report certain things to my friend, I assure you. In exchange, I give you all of the data I have and you can catch up with an old adversary. We aren't the only ones that don't belong in this universe, after all. From what I can tell, there are plenty of us. You want to pull the strings? Then first, you have to meet the right employers." I offer her my hand, pulling up a few things on my omni-tool. It was my own list of contacts. Well, the ones that were already loyal to me. I specifically blacked out the name she wanted the most, though. "What do you say… _amiga_?"

There's a tense silence as I see her single violet eye look over the information. Her lips purse when she sees the blacked out name. She underestimated me, and was now paying the price for it. An orphan girl would do almost anything for some familiarity. Something of the past to cling to. I was one swipe of the finger away from giving her just that. The question was, just how much did she want to see someone she knew from her past? Sombra from the game Overwatch was independent, playful, and relied on no one except herself. Served no one but herself. But it's been several decades since Sombra came into the world. Even if her original personality was that of Sombra, she's still a person. And people change. I lift the information a bit higher to her eyes. She stares at it before her gaze focuses on me.

"What do you need, _amigo_?" she finally asks me. A smile crosses my face. I've won. I hold up my omni-tool and ready the data for exchange.

"Just someone to keep my group well informed," I tell her. "I'll send you the contact information for Shaun and he'll hook you up. Just keep him up to date on anything you find. Corrupt officials, military movements, the like."

"It sounds like you're planning a revolution," she gives me a sly look. "An uprising against the Council?"

"Just preparing for a war," I tell her. "There are some big things coming, and we're going to be stuck in the middle of it. Commander Shepard won't be enough."

"We?" she scoffs and looks over the information I'd just sent her. "And just who else have you dragged into this mess, _cabrón_?" Her eyes widen as she looks over the name I'd previously had blacked out. "How?"

"Same way many of us came here," I tell her. "We're not quite like you, but we don't belong in this universe either. Reinhardt has been doing his best to start up another group like Overwatch, but it hasn't had much backing. You help us, and you help him. You help him, and you help yourself." I smirk. "It's a win-win, don't you think?" the woman nods slowly, a smile appearing on her face.

"I see your game, _cabrón_ ," she tells me. "You want to start another Overwatch."

"Not quite," I correct her. "I want to build a team of the biggest, baddest people to ever grace this universe. A team with the power of an entire planet's military."

"I've heard of a few of these people," she tells me as she continues looking over my list. My full list. "If you get everyone here, I'll help you without question. This could be useful for me."

"Glad to see you've decided to be honest with me," I tell her. She only laughs. "I'd like to speak to Miku sometime in person. Not for anything weird, I assure you," I try and appease her when she gives me a sharp look. "I just want to meet her. I'm a… fan of her work." I give her a sheepish smile, which she returns with a teasing look.

"I'll see what I can do," she tells me before backing up a few steps. "I'll keep in touch, _cabrón._ _Adios._ " With that, the expert hacker disappears. I hum to myself as I let out the breath I had been holding on to. That went as well as I could have hoped. I can only hope that the next woman on my list won't be as scary.

I make my way back to the restaurant I had left from, all the while typing out a message fir Shaun. He beats me to the punch. _Always the crazy ones, eh Kai?_ He sends to me. I chuckle. _I just received a message from her and wow, she has some colorful language. Where do you find all of these freaks?_

 _Be careful,_ I type back to him. _These freaks can all kick your ass five ways to Sunday with little to know effort._ There's a pause.

 _I'll keep that in mind. So far I have a few potential recruits for my end. What are we calling ourselves, anyway?_ I pause at that. We do need a name, don't we?

 _We can bring that up at our first official meeting_ , I tell him. _Anyways, good work. I'll get back to you._ With that, the communications go silent once more. Today was a successful day.

 _A/N: A short chapter while I get my muse back. I've been getting hooked on Overwatch, and I think it's showing. Well, so far a lot of things are changing. This is sort of the pilot I have for the next arc, which I'm dubbing the Cerberus Arc. It's mostly going to be stuff that wasn't in the games for a few chapters in episode styles so I can reacquaint myself with the characters again. Anyways, see you then! Also, I might update LOTIH a few times, first, so keep an eye out for that._


End file.
